Third Recon Team
by Snake Squad
Summary: The experiences of the members of the Third Recon Team during their time in the Special Region were something that they would never imagine ever possible. Confronted with a situation different from anything any of them had to face before, they struggled through, each of them coming out with a story to be told...and also some that are best kept quiet. A retold story of Gate.
1. Prologue

**Notes: Hey people, I'm new over here. A little introduction to myself: I am just a university student with too much free time at hand. This is my first fanfiction, although I am not new to writing. I've done quite a bit of creative writing during highschool. I got introduced to the Gate anime by a friend who is co-writing this story with me, and I liked it. But I thought that if the anime had taken a different direction than what it did I would have liked it even more. So after some discussion with my friend, we decided to write the concepts we thought the anime could have explored to make it better. Think of this story as a re-imagination of the anime, with a heavier emphasis on the characterizations of the members of the Third Recon Team as they experience, through war and peace, the strange world that is Falmart. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Ginza: Aftermath**

 _Showa Street, Ginza, Tokyo_

Before today, the only concern for the people passing through Showa Street was being caught in traffic during rush hour. The usually congested roads were now empty. Empty in the sense that the livelihood of the street—the people, the urban noise of the city, the fuss and commotion of shoppers—was all missing. What little cars in sight were abandoned by their owners, some with the engine still running. The buildings on both of the streets, devoid of the activities of the working class, looked more like monuments rather than centers for offices.

This all, Captain Yasuda Taro of the 32nd Infantry Regiment saw with his own eyes, and yet he still could not believe. Ginza, the famously dubbed 'Pedestrian Paradise', was now a scene of the dead. Legionaries, out of their supposed timeline, had rampaged throughout the streets, killing all those in their way. Why this was happening, he had no idea. He never imagined that the city he was born in, grew up in, and ever since loved would ever turn into a war-zone.

Why?

That didn't matter though. In his line of work, he knew at times it was best not to ask why. He only needed to do his duty to his people, whom many have died today. Their peace all but vanished.

His fists and jaws clenched, and he began to trembled slightly. He soon brought himself under control, unwilling to let his anger run free. Now was not the time to lose control, he told himself.

From on top of a footbridge, Taro surveyed the area once again. He saw the heaps of corpses at one end of the street, where his company had engaged the enemy earlier. The Damascus steel of the legionaries' swords failed to triumph over the firearms his men possessed as the time-tested proverb 'never bring a knife to a gunfight' proved true yet again. As he shifted his gaze, he also saw the bodies continue to littered towards near his position, where they had been shot after they attempted to flee. The enemy had beaten their horses till they bled, but it was still not enough.

"Can't outrun a speeding bullet." Those words came out of Taro's mouth before he knew it.

The whole fight had lasted less than five minutes, and it scared Taro that he could now recall the whole sequence just by reading the corpses on the road. Was this what war teaches people? He had never been to war before; he didn't even know if he could describe _this_ as one either.

"Sir, all squads are in position. All major intersections and exits of the street are now being covered. The area is now in lockdown."

Taro, broken out of his stupor, nodded at the radio operator. "What about the enemies who have surrendered?"

"They are still awaiting transport out of the battlefield, sir."

"Any idea what kind of language they're speaking?"

"No clue, sir."

"I see." He paused to look at his surroundings again, then exhaled a sharp breath. "Lieutenant Danno."

"Sir?" First Lieutenant Danno stood to attention below the footbridge.

"Proceed with orders. Take your men and search and secure any civilians still hidings in these buildings." He pointed to the buildings that lined the sides of the street.

"Yes, sir!"

The lieutenant called his platoon, who then split into two squads, each one heading for one building on either side of the street, weapons at the ready in case any legionaries had taken refuge inside the buildings as well.

Once both squad had entered their designated locations, Taro turned to Sergeant major Kai, his NCO assistant. "Get a squad ready to direct any civilians found to the evacuation point."

"Yes, sir."

With that done, Taro descended the footbridge and walked towards the pile of dead legionaries, his expression a straight one. The blood of the enemy was splattered everywhere, staining the road and pavements, while dusty air filled his nose. He could see the holes in their armor where the bullets had pierced through. The fight had been like an execution by a firing squad. The enemy's tactic of massed infantry formations, though successful in the distant past, proved to be their death sentence as Taro's company could easily focus their firepower on a single target. Targets, that what they were. He had no sympathy for them, the men who attacked his city. Better dead than living.

A horse neighed. Not quite a neigh actually. More like a dying breath.

He looked and saw an injured horse lying on the ground, over a pool of its own dark blood. It had been shot in its chest, and Taro knew that it was certain that the horse would not recover. Looking down the road, he saw that there were many other horses still alive, though mortally wounded, some with broken legs—unlikely to be able to stand again—and others lying on their flanks, waiting for death to come.

Taro called Sergeant major Kai forward again. "What do you think, Kai? The horses."

The sergeant major took a good look at the wounded animals, his arms folded. "I think we should kill them, sir. You know, put them out of their misery. No use saving a couple of half-dead horses."

"That's what I was thinking as well." Taro scratched his chin, then nodded. "Do it."

"Yes, sir."

"One bullet through the temples each. Make it quick."

"Understood, sir."

The sergeant major drew his pistol and Taro turned away as he heard the sound of gunshots begin. He tuned out the noise.

Coup de grâce, mercy killing, a practice done to wounded animals many times throughout history. Yet giving the order felt so unfamiliar—so unnatural—to him. Perhaps it was because he wasn't really thinking of ending their misery, but more to vent his frustration against the enemy who had attacked and killed his people. Nothing that happened today was natural.

"Sir, what about this one?" Taro walked over to where Kai was, who had a hesitant expression. "It's not human."

Taro took a look at the beast on the ground. It had the body of a man, but also the head of a bull. Thick, large horns extended from its temples, stained red with blood, and its legs were also that of a bull, strong muscular thighs with hardened hooves for feet. A minotaur, according to legend. What was it doing here, Taro had no idea. It seemed that the stuff of myths and fables no longer appear to be what they were supposed to be—fictional.

He took a closer look. The beast was bleeding from its abdominal, where it had a furred hand clutching onto it. Its breaths were labored and sounded like a wild boar snorting. It tried to move, but a shot of pain stiffened it and it let out a whimper. Then Taro noticed there were tears falling from its eyes and its mouth was moving. Was it trying to speak? Taro couldn't understand. Was it asking for help?

"Sir?" Kai noticed his superior hadn't respond for a long moment.

No. Taro looked away in disgust.

"Kill it."

* * *

 _Alleyway, Ginza, Tokyo_

Izumi crawled out from under a dumpster. Her flower printed dress, once a bright yellow, was dirtied with brown patches and reeking a horrible smell. Her pigtails had come off undone, letting her dark hair fall messily onto her shoulders.

"Mama! Papa!" Her acute voice echoed against the empty alley.

Mama and Papa didn't answer. They were nowhere to be seen. She looked everywhere, but could not find them. She stood up and walked down the length of the alley, the area completely quiet. Broken glass, torn rubbish bags, overturned bins was all that she saw. The air seemed to have stood still as well, while every slight move she made reverberated loudly; the shuffling of her feet, the rustling of her dress, the sniffing of her nose.

No Papa and Mama.

The fear in her resurfaced with strength, tearing at her as a memory returned.

" _Izumi, don't run off too far."_

She hadn't listened, and when the city had suddenly broken into chaos with strange, scary men and beasts appearing out of nowhere, she lost sight of her parents.

" _IZUMI! IZUMI! WHERE ARE YOU?"_

" _MAMA!"_

 _They couldn't hear her. Everyone was screaming._

" _Izumi! We're over here! Izumi, where are you?"_

 _She couldn't see them. Everyone was running._

" _PAPA!"_

" _IZUMI!"_

The memories of the scene earlier left her as quickly as they came, and she was left with a sense of horror gripping her heart. The walls of the alley were closing in on her, threatening to trap her in. Where are they? If she had listened to Mama, all this wouldn't have happened. Now they were gone, nowhere to be seen. She didn't want to be alone.

"MAMA! PAPA!"

Her throat strained as she screamed. Still no answer. Izumi ran, tears spilling out of her eyes. She didn't know where she was going, she just wanted to be out of this place. She wanted to be with Mama and Papa.

Left and right, she turned the corners of the alley, her little feet stamping on the asphalt pavement. She was starting to tire, but she pushed on. Her heart pounded against her chest, her lungs burning. Her arms hurt, her legs hurt. She felt the cold wind blow past her, chilling her skin.

Then, she tripped. The ground had been uneven—a subtle rise that might have gone unnoticed by an adult, but as a child of only a mere five years of age, Izumi lost her footing and came crashing down against the floor.

The rough asphalt scrapped her arms and face, and the pain brought forth more tears. Her cry was mixed in between sharp intakes of breaths, her lungs desperate to be filled with air after her run.

"Mama…" she managed to croak out.

She could scarcely move now. Her whole body was aching, bruises forming on where she had hurt herself in the fall. It hurt so much. She tried to push herself up, but her strength deserted her, causing her to drop right back to the ground.

"Mama…"

The fear and helplessness of being left alone welled up in the pit of her stomach as she curled up into a ball, hugging herself. Time passed slowly as she laid on the floor, gasping in breaths. Her will was all but gone, while the bruises began to throb and she only cried more at the pain.

Where are they?

"Over there!" A woman's voice. Mama? "Hurry!"

She heard footsteps.

"Oh crap, it's a kid!"

She felt shadows fell over her, and she strained to move to see who it was, her vision blurred by her tears.

"She's alive! Natsuki, quick, help me!"

Strong arms lifted Izumi up and carried her, bringing her to rest her head upon a shoulder. "Papa?" Her voice was feeble.

"Not your Papa, girl." The man who was carrying her indeed wasn't Papa. He was taller and leaner, and whereas Papa wore round-framed glasses, he didn't have any.

The woman who stood behind the man smiled at Izumi. "You're safe now. We're police officers. We're here to help."

"Police?" Izumi rubbed her reddened eyes, and saw the two were wearing dark blue uniforms.

"Yes, police. What's your name?"

"Izumi."

"Nice to meet you, Izumi, I'm glad we found you." The woman gave another gracious smile. "I'm Kano, and he's Natsuki. Don't be scared now, you're safe with us."

Izumi believed her words. Papa have always said that police officers are there to help protect the good people and catch the bad people. So she was safe now, because she knew she was a good girl, except for earlier when she hadn't listened to Mama…

Natsuki gave Izumi a pat on the back. "We're going to take you to somewhere else right now, okay? Somewhere even more safe."

Izumi suddenly remembered why she was here, and shook her head. "I want to find Papa and Mama."

It was Kano's turn to shake her head. "I'm sorry, Izumi, it's too dangerous for you to do that. But I'll tell you what, there're many other police officers searching the place right now. They'll find Mama and Papa and bring them to where we are going to bring you now. You know what, maybe they're already there waiting for you!"

Izumi sniffed. "Really?" Papa and Mama were waiting for her?

"Really. I can take you to them." Izumi's face brightened. The smile Kano had was genuine and Izumi, amidst the tears rolling down her cheeks, smiled in return. "It's a promise, Izumi."

The policewoman, reaching forward with her right hand, extended her pinky. "Let's go find Mama and Papa."

Izumi nodded eagerly and she crossed the offered finger, then rubbed the tears off her face, feeling relief spread across her chest. "Yes."

But as they headed their way out of the empty alley, unbeknownst to Izumi, who was only looking forward heartily to be back with her parents, Kano and Natsuki exchanged a look between themselves. A look that shadowed the cold terror forming in the two officer's hearts, a look that asked the question neither of them wanted to ask out loud.

What if Mama and Papa were dead?

* * *

 _Tokyo Imperial Palace, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo_

The sound of AH-1S attack helicopters patrolling above the area blared through the air. Members of the Tokyo Riot Police Unit and Special Assault Team stood in a dense formation in front of the Tokyo Imperial Palace, their front line equipped with riot shotguns while the successive ranks behind wielded Type-89 assault rifles.

Riot officer Naide Kizawa breathed a sigh of relief as he saw military personnel arriving onto the scene. Behind him, the gate to the palace was barred and it brought him even more relief to think that the civilians hiding within were now safe.

He saw his fellow platoon mates relax visibly as well, grins forming on their faces as they knew their fight was now over.

His superior, Inspector Isayoshi, cleared his throat, a smile on his face as well.

"Alright boys, guards down. Our work is done here. We did good. Now let's see the military handle the rest of this mess."

There were some cheers among the platoon.

"We did good. Go get a breather now. I expect that we'll be called in a bit to help clear the dead. Dismissed."

The platoon gradually filed out towards the mobile support camp, where they will be treated with something to eat and water to drink. Any of those wounded—and there were only a few, mostly burns due to the heat of dragon fire—would also be treated there.

Naide followed his platoon, but then stopped in his track as he gazed at where the enemy had come from. The dead covered his sight. The bodies of romans, and dragons, and beasts he had never seen before and probably belonged to myths and legends. Bodies that lay in the heaps as the enemy failed terribly in their attempt to break through the palace's defense.

"What just happened?" the question everyone was asking.

Then he saw the bodies of his people, the people who he was sworn to protect as a member of an organization dedicated to the people's safety. The bodies of those who were unable to escape in time. Those who felled to the swords of the romans and breaths of the dragons. Those who he had failed to save. He saw their blood and his fist clenched, feeling an anger building inside of him.

How many have died today, the question came up in his mind. He saw the corpse of a woman, whose back was seared black as charcoal. She had been hugging onto something. That something, Naide realized, was the body of a toddler, probably not more than two years old. Naide froze at the realization that the mother had died shielding her son from a dragon's fire.

For a long moment he just stood there, unable to move, but then his expression hardened and he strode forward. "Fuck this."

He ran up to the nearest dead enemy soldier and starting kicking it, stomping it.

"Fucking bastard!"

The roman's head caved in at the fifth kick, and his boot was now covered in blood.

"What the fuck are you?!"

He could feel the eyes of many others on him, but he didn't care. He assumed that he would be suspended after this, but he didn't care. All he felt right now was anger, anger to vent on the dead of the enemy.

Then a hand touched his shoulder. "Hey!"

He turned towards the new voice, ready to swing his fist…but stopped dead in his track, his anger deserting him.

One Warrant Officer Yoji Itami stood there, concern in his eyes. "You okay there, officer?"

Naide immediately saluted. This was the man who had taken control of the civilian evacuation to the Imperial Palace. If it wasn't for his efforts, many more would have lost their lives today. "Sorry, sir. I wasn't myself."

"That's alright, I understand. I guess we all are not ourselves right now. I can't even begin to understand what the hell is happening now."

"Neither do I, sir. Nothing makes sense. Dragons, minotaurs, elves. It all sounds like a pile of steaming bullcrap."

"Tell me about it."

An awkward silence settled between them, and Naide suddenly felt guilty again for his burst of anger earlier. "I'm sorry, sir. I shouldn't have done that."

Itami shook his head. The man looked tired, and his shirt was covered in blood—not his, presumably—and his face was full of grime and dust and sweat. "No, you shouldn't have. We have enough of our own dead to worry about. Let's not start by disrespecting theirs."

* * *

" _Tokyo – On the 17_ _th_ _August, 2016, a mysterious 'Gate' appeared in the middle of Chuo Street, Ginza. The reception to the strange phenomenon was initially treated with mild curiosity as pedestrians believed the structure to be a part of the Anime doujin convention that was ongoing in Ginza for most of the day._

 _At approximately two o'clock in the afternoon, witnesses reported an unusual noise coming out of the Gate, which one man described as sounding akin to grunting boars. This drew spectators to gather around the Gate as it was widely thought that a stage show was about to begin. Around ten minutes later, a dragon flew out; on it was mounted a man equipped in Roman Legionary armor. After which, an entire army of foot soldiers, all in legionary armor, charged out and began attacking on those gathered._

 _Besides dragons and roman soldiers, ogres and orcs and other mythical creatures unseen before had come through the Gate._

 _The hostile army's attack soon involved the rest of the Ginza district, and it is believed that most of the people closest to the epicenter of the Gate when the army had appeared had failed to escape and have been killed._

 _The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department was delayed in their response as they had initially believed the emergency calls to be a prank, but soon acted once convinced otherwise. Riot Units and Special Assault Teams were deployed to secure civilians to safety._

 _The police branch in Ginza was the first respondent as they, led by one off-duty Warrant Officer Itami Yoji of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, managed to save over eight hundred civilians by bringing them to the Tokyo Imperial Palace, while fending off the relentless assaults by the Roman army before being relieved by the 1_ _st_ _Infantry Regiment and 1_ _st_ _Aviation Squadron of the JGSDF's 1_ _st_ _Division._

 _The failed attack on the Imperial Palace blunted the Roman's offensive, and the arrival of the 1_ _st_ _Division immediately turned the tide over. Streets by streets, squares by squares, the Romans were forced back towards the Gate, where many of them surrendered once surrounded._

 _The aftermath of the battle of Ginza brought forth a terrible light as the number of civilian casualties tallied up to 1347 fatalities, 2589 lightly wounded, and 574 severely wounded and under intensive medical care. The number of missing have yet to be reported but current estimates are ranging to be less than one hundred._

 _These numbers made the Battle of Ginza the worst attack on Tokyo by a foreign sovereignty since the bombing of Tokyo during World War II. The rage of the Japanese people runs high; they cry for revenge and justice. However, who exactly are the men and beasts who attack Ginza?_

 _As Japan struggle to understand the phenomenon of the Gate, as the world recoils in shock at what has happened to Japan, there remains one important question which everyone is asking, from the highest of government officials to the average middle school student._

 _What happens now?"_

 _Kiyota Koyo. Attack on Ginza; Hundreds Dead, Nippon News, 2016_

* * *

 **Notes: That ends the prologue, which at first I did not plan to write because none of the Third Recon Team actually shows up here except for Itami at the end, but my friend suggested it was vital to include the Battle of Ginza in the opening chapter. I didn't want to write a battle because one, it's already seen before in the anime, and two, a battle scene didn't really seem to fit the tone I wanted this chapter to be, so I compromised and wrote the aftermath instead.**

 **I'll try to get the next chapter up by around next week, which will actually include the Third Recon Team. Right now, me and my friend's work routine goes like this: I focus on the plotting and the characters, then I write the rough first draft, and my friend will be the one who focuses on the stylistics and editing. He rewrites what I have written so that it just sounds and reads better. And then both of us go over a final edit together before posting the final product here. It's neat process so far, but I doubt that we can keep it up all the time because it is definite that one of us will be busy sometimes. So when that happens, either we will take a longer time to update, or one of us will just write an entire chapter by ourselves. You people will probably learn to tell the difference in our writing styles in time (mine is more choppier, straight to the point, and his is more smoother and subtle).**

 **That's all I have to say. Stay tuned for next week.**


	2. Chapter 1: Reception

**Yo people, I'm back again for this update. Welcome to the start of the first arc of this story called "Retaliation", which will be made up of four chapter including this one, depicting the JSDF as they train for the deployment to the Special Region. As I said in the last chapter, the Third Recon Team will be introduced here. Again, just a small reminder, this story is basically a retelling of the original anime, so there will be differences in the characters's backgrounds and personalities, all done for the sake of literal licence.**

* * *

 **Retaliation: Reception**

 _Shinjuku, Tokyo_

The door was opened after the fifth knock.

"Itami?"

Itami gave a nervous smile at the apartment's occupant. "Yo, Risa."

As like often, his ex-wife looked as if she had neglected proper sleep for the past week or so, dark, heavy bags circling her eyes, her forehead drooping with wrinkles. She yawned. "What are you doing here? I thought the military canceled all leaves?"

"They did, but I still got a few hours before I have to report to my CO. So I thought I would just drop by and check things out with you."

"I see…why don't you come in?" She opened the door fully and Itami stepped in.

The apartment was not large by any standards. It was a one bedroom flat, with a small kitchenette embedded in the already cramped living room. Two old, worn couches accommodated a large portion of space at one end, where an outdated television model was situated as well. The rest of the living room was dominated with shelves and stacks of books, doujinshis, and paper.

"Help yourself to some coffee on the table. I'm still working at the moment."

Not wanting to stand on ceremony, Itami did as suggested and poured himself a cup of black coffee from a press that had seen many years of use. The days to come would be long, might as well start getting some caffeine into his system. He wondered whether he'll be able to get a good night sleep at all in the ensuing weeks.

Steaming cup in hand, he sat himself down on one of the couch facing the TV as Risa returned to her work desk which was on the other side of the living room. Food wraps, empty instant noodle cups, clothes—dirty or clean—laid everywhere, and he noticed the sole rubbish bin of the room was overflowing with a huge pile of crumpled paper. He sighed.

"You still haven't changed, have you?"

"If you mean whether I'll learn to clean up after myself, then the short answer is: probably never. I have things to do and said things does not involve cleaning."

Itami leaned back on his seat, trying his best to ignore the mess of a room he was in. "So how's the manga coming along?"

"Writer block strikes again, I'm afraid. Had to send my editor a delay notice last week."

"That's what—the third time this year?"

"Fourth time."

Another sigh escaped Itami and he took a sip of his coffee, the high temperature stinging his tongue. "I'm surprised that your editor hasn't dropped you yet, you know, like the others did."

"Well, Shinohaza-san is blessed with the patience that comes with his job, as he puts it."

"That's good for you."

"It is."

A long silence settled between them, only broken by the sound of pencil sketching Risa was making. Itami listened to her work intently as he always had before in the past when they had still been living together. A deep regret resurfaced and he frowned at the memories.

"So you're a hero now, huh, Itami?" Itami's eyebrows raised at the question. "I saw your name come up in the news that you directed the evacuation efforts to the Imperial palace. You saved many people."

He sat up, completely expecting this question ever since he made up his mind to visit his ex-wife. "It wasn't just me. There were some who risked their lives more than I did to save those people."

"No, don't downplay what you did. You could have ran, but you didn't; you stayed. Who knows how many more people would have died, if it wasn't what you did." Risa crumpled the paper she had been working on and added it onto the waste pile.

Itami sighed, staring at the back of her seat. "Anyone else could have done that. I'm just glad that people got saved; I don't want a spotlight for it. If the media or anyone wants a hero, they can find someone else. There're plenty of others who can be called that that day."

He leaned forward to rest his head on his hands, running his fingers through his hair. "Look, Risa, I killed my first man that day, and I don't remember what it felt like when I did it. I just grabbed his sword and stabbed his throat. I thought it would be more than that—taking a human life—but it was not."

Risa turned to look at him, concern in her eyes. "He was the enemy, Itami. You don't need to guilt trip yourself."

Itami paused, then shook his head. "No, I don't feel guilty for doing that. I probably saved someone's life because of that. I just feel nothing. It's this emptiness that's creeping me out."

Risa stood up from her seat, and for a moment it looked like she was going to come over to comfort him, but then she sat back down, chewing on her lips. "I don't know what to say, Itami. I don't understand what you mean."

"No, I didn't expect you to. It's hard for me to explain anything to you." He realized he had said his thoughts out loud and bit back his tongue. A look of surprise crossed his ex-wife's face at the sudden spite.

He sighed. "I just don't know."

† † † † † † †

 _Camp Nerima, Tokyo_

"Enter."

Itami closed the door behind him and stood to attention.

"At ease, Yoji."

Lieutenant General Koichiro Hazama had been reading something on the screen of his computer when Itami had entered, and now dark brown eyes of his regarded the junior commissioned officer, a coldness present in those eyes. He was a man in his early sixties, yet still possessed the stature and physique of someone younger. His face was hard as stone, betraying no emotions that could be seen. The lieutenant general stood up from his seat and moved to the front of his desk, still observing Itami.

"Congratulations on your promotion by the way." Hazama extended a hand. "You deserve nothing less for what you've done."

The recently promoted second lieutenant shook the hand, feeling the firm grip of the general. "Thank you, sir."

"I'm sure you're wondering why I called you here today." Hazama waited for Itami to say something, but the second lieutenant kept quiet. "Long story short, you will be transferring to my brigade, the 5th Brigade. Specifically, you'll be joining the 5th Reconnaissance Company."

Itami took the news with a straight face, though on the inside he wondered why he was being transferred. The 5th Brigade, if he recalled correctly, was stationed all the way in the north at Hokkaido. He resolved to ask. "Understood, sir. Permission to ask a question, sir?"

"Granted."

"Why am I being transferred?"

Hazama took his time before answering, leaning back against the front edges of his desk. "The press hasn't got this yet, but the Prime Minister has decided to announce in the upcoming National Diet that he plans to send a task force beyond the Gate. My friends from the Japanese Cabinet has told me that if the motion goes through, the 5th Brigade will be the prime option to be that task force. Do you know why, Yoji?"

The second lieutenant paused to think, trying to remember what else he knew about the 5th Brigade. When he could not think of an answer, he received one.

"Out of all the regional armies of the Self-Defense Force, the Northern Army is the largest. My 5th Brigade is stationed at the east of Hokkaido, an area with a relatively low threat of invasion from other nations.

"With your now former division, 1st Division, continuing its defense of Tokyo and the surrounding prefectures, only the Northern Army has the personnel to spare for the Gate task force. And since 5th Brigade does not occupy a relatively strategic position, we are likely to be chosen for the job."

Hazama picked up a bottle of water on his table and drank a mouthful. "To answer your question though, as far as mythical and magical creatures goes, we don't know much of what lies beyond the Gate besides initial scouting reports. I will need an expanded recon company to explore the place, which is why you are being transferred."

"Understood, sir." Itami didn't know what to feel. He was going to go through the Gate, a land different from anything he has ever seen before. He looked at the lieutenant general, trying to see whether what he had said was all serious. Hazama was serious.

"You will be given command of a team of twelve members including yourself. Your tasks will typically consist of behind enemy line reconnaissance, mapping the area, and engaging first contact with local elements."

"Yes, sir."

Hazama drank another mouthful from his bottle. "Once you fill the necessary paperwork regarding the transfer, which my aide Yanagina will have outside, report to Captain Saza and he'll arrange for you to meet your team. The Third Recon Team, I believe it is."

"Yes, sir."

Hazama returned to behind his desk and sat back down on his chair. He seemed to be about to dismissed Itami, but then his face lit up with a rare curiosity.

"One question, Yoji."

"Sir?"

"Ginza." Hazama pointed to the decorated badge pinned on Itami's left pocket, received from the Minister of Defense for the second lieutenant's valiant efforts during the battle. "What was it like that day?"

For a moment, Itami struggled to find the words to describe, but then it came to him. "A mess, sir. I can't describe it any way else. What I thought shouldn't exist were somehow flying and running before my eyes."

"And what went through your mind?" Hazama leaned back on his chair, curiosity evident in those hardened eyes.

"I can't remember much of what I was thinking, sir. I saw people were getting killed, and I just reacted." He wondered whether he should tell the lieutenant general about the emptiness he felt after killing his first man, but then decided against it. "I just reacted, sir, that's all."

A smile came to Hazama's face, breaking the general's cold exterior. "Ah, I see. Good! There're some people who think too much and do not act enough. I need someone who can react accordingly whenever the situation arises. Glad to have you in my brigade, Yoji."

Itami was genuinely surprised by the general's words and he only managed to croak out his reply. "Thank you, sir. But what I did was nothing special."

"Do you genuinely believe that, or are you just being modest?"

Hazama's question spun the wheels of Itami's mind, and he nodded. "I do believe that, sir. I don't deserve this medal any more than the others who helped with the evacuation. Some whose only reward was death."

"I see." The general stayed silent for the next few moments, not taking his eyes off Itami as he studied the second lieutenant. When he seemed satisfied with whatever he was looking for, he cleared his throat. "Well, you did good by my books. Whether you believe you deserve that medal or not is up to you; I have no part in it. All I ask you now to believe is that we are in a war now, our first in decades, and I hope that you're ready for it."

Itami straightened his back. "I am ready, sir."

"Good. I hope the rest of Japan is too."

† † † † † † †

 _Narita, Tokyo_

It had been raining in the morning, and even though the worst of the downpour had passed, the afternoon sky was still overcast and dark, thick, heavy clouds covering the sun. The August day was cold when it should have been hot and humid, as the season had called for. And now, strong winds stirred through the local temple of the district, making the small crowd gathered shiver in their black garments.

Shino Kuribayashi listened as a priest chanted a Buddhist sutra, his voice droning and the crowd around her keeping respectfully quiet. In her hands, she held a small sheave of lilies, and she closed her eyes as she felt the slight drizzle of rain still falling from the sky onto her head, a feeling of lost simmering inside of her.

Her eyes opened again when the priest finished his chant and she saw him nod towards her parents, who stood next to her in absolute silence. She knew the man was calling them forward to say the final words to the lost one, and she balked. Her father was the first to walk forward, while she lingered behind, hesitant to follow.

Her mother touched her elbow gently. "Come on, Shino, time to say goodbye to your brother."

A sadness welled inside Shino as she nodded and walked towards the casket that contained her brother's body. She peered inside, and saw the face of a person who she had grew up with for the past twenty years, and tears began to leak out of her eyes.

Shino's father stared at her brother's face for a long moment. His eyes were red, and Shino could see that he was trying his hardest to keep composed. He said something to her brother, too quiet for her to hear what it was, and then stepped back.

Her mother stepped forward next, and placed a bouquet of flowers in her brother's coffin, tucking the lilies and white roses beside his head. And unlike her father, her mother began to cry, the tears flowing out without restraints. She sobbed and laid a shaking hand on her brother's right cheek before leaning in to kiss him on the forehead one last time. Once she had done that she stepped back, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe her eyes.

Lastly—and dreadingly—Shino came forward, and placed the sheave of lilies across her brother's chest so that the tip of the sheave—the heads of the lilies—would just brush against the side of his collar, the collar which hid the fatal sword wound on his neck.

"Goodbye, Taki." She leaned forward to kiss him as well and felt the coldness in his skin. He had a neutral expression on his face, showing nothing of the smile he always had when he was living.

She was crying now as well, and with great willpower she stopped herself from looking away as others from the crowd now stepped forward to give their final respect. Relatives, friends, neighbours, teachers, classmates, and all those who the bright young man had managed to charm in his short life.

After the last of the procession had finished, the casket was then sealed, forever enclosing the body of Taki from the world. The priest who had chanted the sutra at the start of the ceremony came forward towards Shino's family, holding a black tablet in his arms. He handed the tablet to Shino's father, then bowed and left.

The inscription on the tablet read:

 _Taki Kuribayashi. July 12, 1994 – August 17, 2016. Lost in tragedy, survived by loving parents and sister._

Shino clenched her fist. Her mother had told her that Taki had been in Ginza that day because of an anime convention. Despite being the intellectually gifted member of the family, Taki had always been addicted to anime and manga. The amount of focus he had when it came to his exams was the same as the focus he had when reading his favorite manga. She remembered the number of times she had told him that he didn't have a life because of this hobby, and now, she realized how literal the irony was.

She felt an anger boiled within her, against the people of the Empire as the media was calling the enemy from a different world. Why did they attack? Why Ginza, of all places? Why couldn't Taki stay home? These were the questions she had, but the damage was already done.

"Shino, are you okay?" Her mother, despite looking devastated herself, looked concerned for her.

"I'm fine, mother." She looked over to her father, who was gazing off at the distance, deliberately ignoring her.

She had become used to her father ignoring her in these past few years. Ever since she made the decision to join the JSDF rather than go to college like how he wanted, he had stopped talking to her at all. When she returned home during her leaves, they did not speak. During dinner, they did not speak; he would eat fast and then leave the dining table almost immediately. Even when she called home, they did not speak; at the sound of her voice, he would immediately pass the phone on to her mother or Taki.

And even now, after all that had happened, standing here right now at Taki's funeral, they still did not speak.

Shino's mother saw what she was thinking about, and she shook her head, then went over to her husband. "It's time to let go, dear. We already lost one child. Do you want to lose another?"

Her father pondered the words for a while, then gave a slow nod. "You're right." He turned to Shino, and she saw he was holding great sadness behind his eyes. "I'm sorry, Shino. I should have respected your decision."

"It's okay, father." Those words came out more desperately than she wanted. "I should have told you sooner."

"Come here."

Before Shino knew what was happening, her father pulled her into a hug. She could feel the strength in his grip and she didn't want him to let go. With all that had happened to her family, with Taki's death, she realized she wanted her father to embraced her more than ever. And so, despite herself, she cried on his shoulder. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry. About everything."

He somehow hugged her tighter. "No, Shino, you don't need to apologize for anything. It's all in the past. I'm sure your brother doesn't want to see you crying this much."

Shino rubbed her eyes, nodding. "No, he wouldn't."

They stayed together for a while, and only parted the embrace once the ceremony for the cremation of the body began. In silence, they watched the priest set fire to the pyre that held up Taki's coffin. As the fire spread and burned, the crowd slowly fanned out and left, eventually leaving only Shino's family to witness the flames consume the entirety of Taki.

When the fire died down to only a few spots of kindling, Shino's mother took Shino's hands.

"What will you do now, Shino?"

Shino could not take her eyes off the pyre. "I need to head back to base after tomorrow, mother."

"So soon?"

"Yes, I have to go back. It was luck that I managed to get a leave here in the first place."

Her mother nodded, sniffing. "Oh okay."

Her father stepped up to her and placed his hands on her shoulder. "I want you to take care of yourself when you get back, okay?"

"Don't worry, father, I will."

"What's going to happen now, do you know?"

Shino felt a coldness in her skin. "We're in war now, father. An army will probably be sent through that Gate."

"Do you think you'll be deployed?"

"I don't know." She wondered what were the chances that her brigade will be sent through the Gate, and she could not find any surety.

Her father nodded. "Hopefully not, Shino. I want you to stay safe. I don't want to lose you."

"Don't worry, father, I will."

But as she said those words, as she continued staring at the burning pyre where Taki was being cremated, her anger began to build again and she made up her mind.

If given the chance, she would be glad to be deployed and make those Imperial bastards suffer for her brother's death.

† † † † † † †

 _Camp Obihiro, Hokkaido_

The barrack loomed ahead of Itami and he wondered what kind of men and women would he have to lead in his team. A whole list of question scrolled in his mind. What kind of leader should he be? How does he gain his team's respect? Should he be just himself or should he be more authoritative?

He turned to the sergeant major who walked next to him. "So how long have you served for, Kuwahara?"

Kuwahara Soichiro, his second-in-command, answered, "Almost thirty years, sir."

Itami was impressed. Most people would have retired after a decade or so. "Thirty years, wow. So I'm guessing you've seen everything that goes on in the military then?"

Kuwahara nodded. "I've seen all types of men and women, sir. All come and gone. I know who's trouble and who's not, and I also know how to fix trouble."

"I see." He was glad to have an experienced hand in the team, and he made a note in his mind to rely on the sergeant major as he accustomed to the team.

"There's the team, sir."

Itami saw the sergeant major pointing towards a group of men and women gathered outside the barrack, all in full combat kit. From the distance, they all looked pretty young, perhaps around or younger than his own age. He strode forward.

The tallest member of the team spotted him first and called out. "Attention!"

The team, who had been idling and talking amongst themselves, immediately stood to attention, their backs straight and arms raised in salute.

"Third Recon Team reporting, sir!"

Kuwahara joined the rest of the team, standing with them in a line. "Third Recon Team ready for inspection, sir."

Itami nodded, silently thanking the sergeant major for telling him what to do next, and walked to the front of them, where he could view each member without oversight.

The conditions in which they kept their equipment in, he noted, were good, each rifles looking without any decay and defects. Their uniforms were clean, as were their boots and helmet, as though they were freshly issued. Lastly, he noted the faces of the men and women he was supposed to lead, and in their impassive position of attention, he could somehow feel an eager confidence radiating out of them. A confidence that he once felt when he had first graduated from the defense academy. A confidence he knew that would immediate fade after first contact with the enemy.

Once he knew he'd seen enough, he nodded. "At ease."

The team relaxed and Itami wondered what to say next.

He gave a nervous cough. "Umm…introductions; I'm Second Lieutenant Itami Yoji. I am this team's leader." He gestured for them to introduce themselves.

The tallest of the group spoke first. He had broad shoulders and was without doubt the heaviest built man of the team. "Sergeant First Class Akira Tomita, sir. Honored to serve in your team, sir."

"Likewise."

He moved onto the next person. "Name?"

"Sergeant Takeo Kurata. I'm one of the team's driver." The sergeant's grin was infection, and Itami couldn't help but smile back at him. A real confident lad, an essential quality for a driver, someone who can be daring and skilled.

"Good to meet you, Kurata. I hope you don't crash with me in the vehicle any time soon."

The sergeant grin only grew. "Don't worry about that, sir. I've never crashed anything with two wheels or more before."

"Good, because I'm told we're going to be receiving new equipment and vehicles soon, and we should start training with them. Though not officially yet, we're all heading for war, so I don't want any mishaps before we could even get to deploy."

"Yes, sir."

Itami moved on and continued until he learnt all the names of the member of his team, as well as their role and purpose. He stood at their front and center again, feeling more confidence now than before.

"Well, it's good to meet you all, Third Recon Team. Our role, as explained to me, is deep reconnaissance behind enemy lines. We are going to be one of the first to explore the Special Region as they are calling it. I have no doubt that we'll see things that'll make us question everything we've come to know. This is a new world we're going to, a very strange one at that."

He saw the team listened intently to his words, and he felt a secret pride of them even though he had just met them. But as he finished talking, he remembered something suddenly.

"Kuwahara?"

"Sir?"

"There're supposed to be twelve members in this team, including me, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"I'm counting only ten of you at the moment. Where's the eleventh? Who's missing?"

"Sir, that would be Sergeant First Class Shino Kuribayashi. She's currently away on funeral leave."

"Funeral leave?" He thought all leaves were cancelled.

"I heard she lost her younger brother at Ginza, sir."

Ginza. Itami froze at that word, then he slowly nodded. "Ah, I see. When she returns, tell her to report to me straightaway."

"Yes, sir."

"Well, I think just introductions is enough for today, good to meet you all. Dismissed."

† † † † † † †

 _Officer barracks, Camp Obihiro_

Itami lounged in his small bedroom. The room was bare, except for the essential desk and drawers, for he still hadn't had much time to customized it since he arrived at Camp Obihiro, where the 5th Brigade was currently stationed. Kuwahara sat on a chair opposite him, taking a drag out of his cigarette. The evening was fast approaching, and through the sole window of the room, Itami could see the sun setting on the horizon, bleaching the sky in an orange hue.

"So tell me, Kuwahara, what kind of guys am I leading?" Itami thought it was good idea to ask the sergeant major of his opinion on the team.

Kuwahara finished his drag then spoke, "You don't need to worry too much about them, sir. They're good men and women. They may not be from the best of backgrounds, but they're good men and women. All they want to do is prove that they know what they are doing."

"I see."

"Let them know what is expected of them, sir. We, soldiers, are simple things, we do what is expected of us and we do them to the best of our abilities."

"That's good advice. Thank you."

"You're welcome, sir. I've served under all types of officers, sir, so I know what leadership we respond to the best."

The sergeant major took another drag, while Itami leaned forward on his seat.

"Kuwahara, if you don't mind telling me, what did you mean by 'not from the best of backgrounds'?"

The sergeant major took a moment before answering. "Most of them joined the military because they couldn't make it anywhere else, sir. Highschool dropouts, falling out with family, you know, that sort of stuff." Kuwahara tapped his cigarette on the ashtray. "Take Kurata, for example. His family never really thought he would ever amount to anything in life, say he was too lazy, always watching and reading anime and manga. So he enlisted because he thought that was his only option, and basics soon whipped that laziness out of him."

Itami laughed. "Sounds too much like me. My parents never really thought I could succeed in life as well. To an extent, they're right so far. My paygrade right now is just enough for me to support my hobby as an otaku—yes, just like Kurata."

Kuwahara shook his head. "I disagree, sir. What you did at Ginza—that's something worth accomplishing. You've done more than what your parents could ever hope to imagine, sir."

"Thanks for the pickup." Itami smiled, but deep within he was still uncomfortable with all the praises he had been receiving from all those he met.

A silence settled between them.

"So tell me about yourself, Kuwahara. Why did you stay in the military for so long?"

"The military is all that I ever know, sir."

"You got a family?"

"Yes, I do, sir. Had a wife, and two children all grown up and working now."

Itami raised an eyebrow. " _Had_ a wife?"

"Lung cancer, sir. Lost her six years ago." Kuwahara blew out a puff and watched the smoke floated away from him.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize, sir. I've moved on from it a long time ago already."

Itami nodded, still feeling slightly guilty for bringing up the topic. "So what about your children? How old are they?"

"My son is twenty-five, and my daughter's twenty-one. My daughter is actually engaged right now."

"Oh congratulations!" Itami smiled, but to his surprise Kuwahara didn't smile in return, instead a frown was on his face.

"I probably won't be able to attend the wedding. Not with all that's going on, sir."

"Ah, that is unfortunate." He now understood why Kuwahara seemed sad.

"It is, sir." The sergeant major took out another cigarette from his pack and took the longest drag he had so far.

Another silence settled, which was eventually broken by Kuwahara.

"What about you, sir? Any family?"

"No, not really."

"I thought so, sir, you looked too young to have any children."

"I'm thirty-three, sergeant major!" Kuwahara laughed, and Itami couldn't help but join in the older man's glee. "But yeah, I do actually have an ex-wife."

It was Kuwahara's turn to be curious. "Oh what happened, sir?"

Itami's smile lessened a little. "We were too young when we married, and didn't really think things through. We couldn't figure out what exactly each of us wanted from the other and that eventually drove us apart."

"I see, sir."

"Well, that's the short story." Itami stood up from his seat and went over to close the window for the evening wind was getting strong. "The long story is too much of a hassle to say it."

Kuwahara nodded, tossing his cigarette onto the ashtray. "I like the short story just fine, sir."

† † † † † † †

" _Honorable members of the Cabinet, honorable members of the Diet, honorable guests, honorable citizens of Japan._

 _On the afternoon of the 17_ _th_ _August, our nation suffered a terrible attack on the district of Ginza. Soldiers from a foreign sovereign known to us as the Empire appeared through a mysterious building called the Gate and massacre all civilians in sight._

 _By definition, this is an act of war. And what we have never expected has happened. But we must not shy away from the unexpected. Since the Empire have made the first move, Japan must now counter with a second. Closing the Gate is not an option, for we fear that another Gate might open in another part of Japan, causing great loss of lives again._

 _Honorable citizens of Japan, we are in the dark about the strangeness of this new world, therefore we must proceed with caution. From the prisoners captured by the Self-Defense Force in Ginza, we are learning what we can about this different world beyond the Gate, but information has been limited. We do not know the land, the people, and the culture._

 _I therefore declare, in order to learn what lies on the other side, as well as to bring any forces there to the negotiating table for the crimes committed against the people of Japan, the Japanese Cabinet has determined that the Self-Defense Force will be going through the Gate and investigate the mystery that is the Special Region."_

 _Japan Prime Minister Houjou Shigenori_

 _Address to National Diet, October 5_ _th_ _, 2016_

* * *

 **There you go, the Third Recon Team is introduced. Lol I know not every one was introduced, I only chose to introduce the important ones for now and as the story goes on, I'll introduce more. This is so that I don't just dump a bunch of names and backstory onto you people.**

 **Anyway, this was a nice chapter to write. My friend said that he had a lot of fun editing Shino's scene, which is also my favorite scene of this chapter. I just enjoyed writing the intrigues of Shino's past and the relationship she has with her parents.**

 **The first two chapters of this arc are quite slow, but once I hit the third chapter then the pace just goes up. I think so far, I'm looking forward to writing the 4th chapter the most, which is going to be the Battle of Alnus, the big milestone in this story, and right now in my plans, I have an interesting perspective to work with.**

 **And that's all I have to say for this author's notes. Credit to my co-writer and friend for his editing and suggestions, and also credit to those who have already reviewed, favorite and followed, the support is greatly appreciated. Another week or longer for the next update.**


	3. Chapter 2: Relay

**Back again for another update. My co-writer was out of town this week, so I wrote and edited this all by myself. This is quite a short chapter though. The reason why I took longer than a week to update was because I was too lazy to write anything only until a few days ago. Anyway, do enjoy the read.**

* * *

 **Retaliation: Relay**

Shino unlocked the door to her barrack room and entered, and was immediately greeted by the sight of one beautiful woman with dark hair and deep-sea blue eyes lying down on the top bunk bed of the room. The woman looked up from the book she was reading and her eyes widened.

"Shino, you're back!" A smile that was both gentle and inviting formed on Mari Kurokawa's face.

Shino returned the smile to the Third Recon Team's combat medic, giving a small nod. "Hey there, Mari. You doing alright?"

"Better now that you're back. At least now I have someone female to talk to on the team."

Shino laughed, then threw her travel bag onto the bottom bed of the bunk and began unpacking. Her civilian clothes were taken out and then kept in the room's closet, the snacks she bought on the way here were stored in a drawer, while the framed picture of Taki she had brought from home was placed on her desk.

Mari stared at the picture and her smile faded away. "Shino, I'm sorry for your loss."

Shino stopped unpacking for a moment, then said softly, "Thank you."

"How are you handling it?"

"I'm doing alright." Her voice was hesitant.

"You sure?"

A slow nod. "Just wished I had a bit more time off."

"Hey, if it were up to me, you would have gotten all the time in the world." Mari sat up on her bed. "Do you want me to talk to the company CO about giving you another week off?"

Shino shook her head. "No, it's fine, Mari. I'm back here already and I'm fine."

The look of concern didn't disappear from Mari's face, but she decided it was best to give Shino some more space. "Alright then." She glanced at the wooden clock hanging by the wall. "By the way, have you reported to our new lieutenant yet?"

"No, I went to look for him earlier at headquarters, but he wasn't there. So, I thought to come here and drop off my things first before finding him later. By the way, is he the same Itami Yoji at Ginza?"

Mari nodded, but did not say anything.

Shino sighed, looking out the window of the room, her suspicion confirmed. "I saw him on TV when he received his medal and promotion from the Minister of Defense." She paused. "What kind of person is he?"

"He seems like a well-meaning person. He doesn't really look like a real confident guy, but maybe he's just unused to the team yet. Kuwahara says he's a good man, he's just inexperienced."

That was something she didn't expect to hear about a man called the Hero of Ginza, a title that she was indifferent to, especially since the one person she wanted to be saved wasn't.

"I see." She checked her watch. "It's almost lunch time. You coming to the mess hall?"

Mari shook her head. "No, you go ahead. I already had a light snack earlier so I'm good for lunch."

"Alright then, see you in a bit."

"See you, Shino. Take care."

† † † † † † †

"What the _hell_ is this?" Kurata read a second time the gear list he was handed to by Kurahawa, making sure that he wasn't just seeing things.

"It's the gear list," Tomita said.

"No shit it's the gear list." Kurata turned towards Kurahawa, waving the list at the sergeant major. "I thought Itami said we were getting new equipment? Why are we getting Type 64s? That's Cold War stuff. You're not punking us, are you?"

The sergeant major chuckled. "No, I'm not. This came straight from the higher ups."

"Tomita, any idea why we getting old stuff?"

The tall sergeant first class shrugged. "Beats me."

Kuwahara leaned against the door of the barrack room. "My guess is that they deemed the Special Region to be of low-threat, given that most of the investigation so far has proved that the Empire are using pre-gunpowder era weaponry. So that's why we're getting issued some outdated equipment."

"That makes some sense." Kurata sat back down on his bed. "But we're not just going to go up against legionnaires, they got dragons and minotaurs as well."

"Nothing our bullets can't penetrate."

"From what we've seen so far, at least," Tomita said, to which Kuwahara nodded.

"Anyway, you two are coming with me to the armoury to collect the gears. So get off your bed, Kurata."

The team's driver sighed. "You really like picking on us two to do all the work, huh, sarge?"

"Yes, I do." Kurahawa grinned. "Especially since you, Kurata, always look like you could use something to do. Right, Tomita?"

"Agreed."

"Hey! You're turning against me now, Tomita?" Kurata sat up on his bed and pointed an accusatory finger at the sergeant first class.

Tomita merely smirked in response.

Kuwahara couldn't help but chuckled. "Well, you do read that manga of yours too much."

"And what's wrong with that? I'm sure Itami does it as well in his free time. He's as much an otaku as me! I don't see you getting up in his ass about it?"

"What the lieutenant does in his free time is no business of mine."

Kurata threw his arms up in exasperation. "Double standards! I'm done with you two."

And at that, the three occupants of the room started laughing, enjoying the presence and humour of each other. Eventually the laughter died down and Kuwahara looked towards the wall clock.

"Well, I think we better make a move now. Everyone has to get their gears by the end of the day."

"Sure thing, sarge." Kurata hopped off his bed, while Tomita stood up from his seat.

As the three made their way out of the barracks, Kurata said, "Hey, by the way, I heard Shino is back."

"I heard the same thing," Tomita said.

"She is back," Kuwahara said. "Ran into her while I was on the way to pick the two of you up."

"How is she?" Kurata had a caring expression.

"Can't tell. But you know her, she's good at hiding her true feelings. And no, by that I don't mean she's secretly having the hots for you."

Tomita burst out laughing at that, while Kurata's face grew slightly red. "Why you got to be so savage, sarge? I just wanted to know if she's alright."

Kuwahara turned to look at the suddenly-humbled driver, a smile on his face. "Don't worry, Kurata, she'll be fine. I've lost someone before as well, and that taught me that eventually we all learn how to move on. Just a matter of time."

"Alright, that's good."

"But thread lightly around her for the next few weeks. You know her temper."

"Got it, sarge."

Kuwahara suddenly remembered something else. "Oh yeah, by the way, did you guys hear about the Americans?"

Tomita nodded, while Kurata seemed confused. "Americans? What about them?"

"Mutual Defense Treaty," Tomita answered. "They're deploying the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force along with us to the Special Region."

"Yeah, word is that they're sending some platoons over here to Hokkaido as well to train with us for deployment," Kuwahara added. "So don't be surprise if we end up training with some Marines in the coming weeks."

Kurata's face brightened. "That's pretty damn cool. We're going to be training and fighting alongside killing machines."

"We're in war, Kurata. Ain't nothing cool about that."

† † † † † † †

It was starting to get packed inside the enlisted men's mess hall and as Itami entered, he heard the routine, "At ease," calling for the men to do as they were. A short line of men and women were queuing, chatting with each other as they waited to be served food from the cafeteria stall. Those who were early enough and had gotten their food already were sitting down on the many tables and benches in the hall.

Itami spotted a member of his team, Leading Private Hitoshi Furuta, working behind the counter serving the food. He headed towards the prospective chef.

"Hitoshi."

"Sir." The tall, thin male saluted Itami. He wore a white apron over his fatigues, and despite having short spiky hair he also wore a hairnet. "How can I help you, sir?"

"I was told Sergeant First Class Kuribayashi was looking for me earlier, but couldn't find me. So I came here to see if I can find her here. Did you see her?"

"I did, sir. I think she headed for one of the tables near that corner over there."

Itami nodded. "Thanks. As you were."

"Aye, sir." The leading private continued his job, while Itami strode over to where Furuta had pointed. At first he didn't spot Shino, and he bit his lips in slight apprehension. He was in a hurry; Captain Saza was expecting him back at headquarters immediately after lunch, so he would have to make his briefing with Shino as quick as possible. But so far he couldn't find her, and he contemplated meeting with her later in the evening. However, then he saw her; she was sitting alone on a table, far from anyone else, and Itami quickly hurried towards her.

"Sergeant First Class Kuribayashi."

Shino seemed to have not heard him for she didn't respond and continued eating her meal. Desperately hurried, he called a second time, "Sergeant First Class Kuribayashi."

The second time failed as well.

He opened his mouth to call a third time when she turned suddenly towards him, heavy annoyance knitted in her eyebrows. "What the fuck do you want?"

Itami was so surprised by her tone that he didn't say anything for a moment, and in that moment, the look of annoyance on Shino's face turned to one of realization then embarrassment. She quickly stood up and saluted. "I'm sorry, sir, sorry. I thought you were someone else. I didn't mean to shout at you."

Itami realized he could punish her for her insolence, but he knew that would have made a bad impression and frankly he wasn't that type of person. "It's alright, Kuribayashi, stand at ease. I'm Lieutenant Itami Yoji, your direct superior officer."

"Shino Kuribayashi, sir. Sorry again for the outburst."

"It's fine, Kuribayashi. You seemed like you weren't paying much attention to your surroundings." Itami smiled.

To his surprise, what he intended to be disarming words, the female sergeant seemed to have taken them as insults. Her annoyance returned and her apologetic tone disappeared. "I just didn't notice you, sir."

"I see," Itami said uneasily, unsure on how to proceed. Then he remembered why he was here. "So, I heard you were looking for me earlier."

Shino nodded, a frown on her face. "I came to report to you, sir, to rejoin the team after my leave, but I couldn't find you."

"Sorry about that, I was at a meeting with the company's CO."

"I see, sir."

"Well, I'm due back at headquarters soon, so let's get this briefing over. You may seat down, Kuribayashi."

Shino did as she was told, and Itami watched the young petite woman who suddenly didn't look as fierce as she was earlier. He wondered why she had been sitting alone in the first place and why she had such a hostile reaction to anyone trying to approach her. Something was clearly bothering her and he searched his mind to find the words to say to her.

"I'm sorry for your loss, by the way, Kuribayashi. I heard you lost your brother at Ginza. I was there that day as well and—"

"Sir." Shino's voice was cold and flat, and it made Itami stopped right in his tracks. "With all due respect, sir, please do not talk about my brother."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"It's fine, sir. I just don't to hear about it anymore."

The somber tone the conversation took convinced Itami that maybe it was best to conduct the briefing later. He looked around and saw that the mess hall was almost filled now.

"I think it's better if we talk later, Kuribayashi. You can carry on with your meal. Come and find me at headquarters again in the evening, I'll be free then, and I'll brief you on what we have done so far during your absences."

"Yes, sir." Shino nodded and went back to eating her meal, not bothering to wait to see Itami leaving her presence.

As he walked away, Itami sighed. Looks like he found the tough egg to crack in the team. He made a mental note to go ask Kuwahara on how to deal with her.

But first he must return to headquarters, and meet the Americans who Captain Saza was going to introduce.

† † † † † † †

A tall, tan-skinned man greeted Itami, extending his right hand for a handshake. He was perhaps one of the most imposing person Itami had ever seen and he wore a brown fatigue with the US Marine Corps badge.

"I'm First Lieutenant Nathan Bowman, Deep Reconnaissance Platoon, 3rd Recon Battalion. How do you do?"

Itami was stunned. It was not the question that stunned him, but it was the fact that the American had asked in fluent Japanese. It took him a moment before he recovered and shook the man's hand.

"I'm Second Lieutenant Itami Yoji, sir. I'm doing good. And you?"

The man laughed. "Yeah, I'm doing swell. You're surprised, aren't you? I can see it in your face."

"I didn't expect you to be able to speak Japanese, sir."

"I learnt to pick it up after spending several years now on Camp Schwab at Okinawa. The locals seem to treat me nicer knowing that I was trying to speak their language."

"I see, sir."

"So I hear that you were the guy up at Ginza, am I correct?"

"Yes, sir."

Lieutenant Bowman grinned. "Good job there, man. An honor to meet you."

"Thank you, sir."

"Anyway, we have lots of work to do together, Itami. We have to be ready when the day comes to go through that Gate and make those sonsofbitches pay for what they've done to your people."

Itami nodded, his back straightening. "Yes, sir."

Captain Saza, who was an aging short man, cut in, "As I said earlier, Lieutenant Bowman and his platoon will be training with the 5th Reconnaissance Company for the next few weeks."

Itami and the other five recon team leaders nodded.

"Aye," Lieutenant Bowman said. "Your Lieutenant General Hazama is keen on all of you being in the best shape possible for deployment day. That's why he has given me the go ahead for the training for the recon teams here to be under my direct supervision."

The first lieutenant paced in front of the six team leaders at attention, his eyes meeting theirs straight on. "For the next two months, all teams will undergo three phrases of training. Phase 1; physical fitness, mobility, and live fire drills. Phase 2; unit tactics, communication, and planning. Phase 3; survival skills, medical, evasion, and resistance. Even though these things are just basics, I can assure you that they are no walk in the park."

Itami keep his expression neutral at Bowman's announcement, and at out of the corner of his eyes he could see his colleagues doing the same, and he wondered what they thought about the chance to train with US Marines.

"Training starts tomorrow. I want all of your teams in PT kit on the field at 0400. Anyone who is a second too late must repeat the entire morning course twice. War does not wait for the slowest of us."

† † † † † † †

It was just Shino's second day back and already she had get up early before sunrise, along with the rest of the Third Recon Team, for training. She shook her head in attempt to push away the lulling lure of resting her eyelids, but it had little effect and she ended up nearly dozing on her feet.

Mari nudged her in the ribs with a quick elbow. "Stay sharp, Shino. The lieutenant will be here soon."

Eyes now snapped open, she nodded. "Thanks."

She risked a glance to the side of her and saw that the other members of the team seemed to be equally struggling to stay awake. Kurata, she noted, was the worst, and looked as if he had just crawled out of his bed—actually, given his character, he probably _did_ just crawl out of his bed. She hoped that he would snap of his daze soon if they were to do vehicle maneuvering exercises later in the day.

"Attention!" Kuwahara called out.

The whole team snapped to attention and saluted as Itami and an American sergeant came forward.

"At ease." Itami gestured towards the sergeant to his left. "This is Staff Sergeant Miller of the Deep Reconnaissance Platoon, US Marine Force Recon. He'll be supervising over the training today. Take it away, staff sergeant."

Shino straightened her back, finally able to shake off the tiredness she felt. This was a Marine she was listening to, someone who probably have seen combat before.

Miller spoke out in broken Japanese haltingly, "I want no slacking. We ran up that hill." He pointed to a distant hill. "Two runs. Up and down. Five miles. Understood?"

"Yes, staff sergeant!" the team responded.

"Go!"

At first no one moved, but then Miller called out again, his face cringing with annoyance, "I said: GO!"

Not willing to be told a third time, the team immediately ran.

† † † † † † †

Itami joined the other officers and watched his recon team ran up the hill and down, all of them sweating heavily by the time they were done. Sergeant First Class Tomita had been the fastest, taking around four minutes, while the others had taken a minute or two longer.

"They'll need to be in better shape if they're going to be deployed," Lieutenant Bowman said.

"I thought they did a good job," Itami said optimistically.

"Well I don't think so. But don't worry I'm sure Miller can soon whip them up into something representing what recon soldiers are supposed to be."

"I see, sir."

The first lieutenant watched from the distance as Miller briefed the Third Recon on what they were going to do next. "They're all green. Too damn green. It's going to be trouble when you all see the true face of war for the first time."

"I've already got a glimpse of it, sir. At Ginza." The countless loss of lives, blood, and death.

Bowman nodded. "And what do you think of it?"

Itami found that he couldn't answer. "I don't know what to think of it, sir."

"You'll find that answer pretty common in the days to come, Itami. By the way, how long have you been this team's leader?"

"Oh, I just got promoted, sir. So, I only received this commission only last week."

"Do you know what you're doing?"

Itami shook his head. "To be completely honest with you sir, no I don't. I've never lead a team before. I plan on letting my NCO handle the team for now as I get used to the men."

"That's good. Always trust your NCOs. I always say they are the backbone of any armed force. Anyway, I got some more advice for you, if you're willing to listen."

"I am, sir."

The first lieutenant took his time before speaking again, "When faced with a dangerous situation, remember that a bad decision is better than no decision. An indecisive leader is a death sentence to any unit. Your team will always look to you for orders, and your job is to better make sure that you give them those orders or else you all are going to die."

Itami nodded, taking in the lieutenant's words with comprehension. "Yes, sir. I understand."

"Now repeat that to yourself. So that you don't ever forget that when you're out there in the field."

"A bad decision is better than no decision."

Bowman chuckled. "Don't forget that. I'll tell you this though, if you can remain calm and have faith in your team, however green they may be, most of the time you'll be making the right decision rather than a bad one."

"Thanks for the advice, sir." Itami knew that, despite having seen combat once before, in the Marine's eyes he was still as green as the rest of his team. And so, he reasoned that since the first lieutenant knew more than he did it would be best to listen to the man. "It's good advice, sir."

Another chuckle, and Itami felt the lieutenant's hand patting his shoulder. "You know, you Japs might actually become something after all of this. War changes people. You Japs just don't know that, especially after all these decades of peace."

"Peace is good, sir."

"It is. But there comes a time, like now, where men like us have to take up arms, and stare at an enemy right in the eye, and shoot them. For Country."

† † † † † † †

" _The arrival of the US Marine Corps at Camp Obihiro signaled an upheaval in the order of things. At first, we were in awed at the sight of the seasoned veterans with fearsome reputation who were now staying with us in the same camp. But the awe was soon supplanted by the strict training regime they employed on us._

 _Getting up hours before sunrise had now become a common occurrence, as did training until late evening, sometimes even passed midnight. The sores and bruises and sheer exhaustion I've gained in just the last month since the Marines's arrival have taken its toll on my body. But for a strange reason, I find myself grateful for them. The mental and physical toughness seemed to have strengthened in resolve and endurance. Speaking to many of my colleagues, they seem to share the same thoughts as I do. It was then I realized that Japan, in its many decades of peace, has lulled itself into a strong sense of security, and as a result we have become complacent._

 _And complacency, as the Marines have been hammering into our mindset, has no place in war."_

 _Excerpt from Private Isui Takanashi's Journal, Fifth Recon Team, 5_ _th_ _Reconnaisance Company, JGSDF, October 15_ _th_ _, 2016._

* * *

 **Well, I have nothing much to say about this chapter. It's rather slow paced and I didn't really like that but it was necessary. Next chapter we'll be jumping right to the Gate and finally some action can start. My co-writer will be back as well, so I don't need to slog through the editing process. The next update will possibly take longer than usual though because I will be out of town next weekend visiting some old friends and family.**

 **Anyway, Happy Halloween, hope you people out there get pissed drunk at any parties you going to!**


	4. Chapter 3: Response

**It's been a while since the last update. I had a busy week, visiting my family out of town, meeting up with old highschool friends, and I also had an essay and another assignment to do. It's been two months since university started, and only now I'm feeling the workload starting to pick up a little. Anyway, enough about my life, you people are here for the story. So enjoy the read!**

 **To random reader: Yes, I do plan on writing the perspectives of the Falmart natives. I've got some interesting ideas for them.**

* * *

 **Retaliation: Response**

Two months have come and gone in rigid training as deployment day drew closer. The endurance of the JGSDF was tested, broken, and then reshaped into something stronger than it ever was before. One week before the expected day, the 5th Brigade was mobilized to the camps around Tokyo, where all the final preparations for the incursion were being done.

The bullet train trucked along the tracks and, within, the members of the Third Recon Team were enjoying the brief respite from the brutal training they underwent under the supervision of the Marines. Though even as they laughed and talked among themselves, they all wondered what to expect once through the Gate, a thought that none of them voiced out loud.

Itami joined his team in the compartment they were assigned to and they all cheered him as he came through the door.

"You all settling good?"

"We're good, lieutenant. Smooth ride so far."

Itami smiled. "Well, I got some news. I just spoke with Captain Saza and he has agreed to give everyone in the company some time before we check into base to call any family or friends."

The team nodded.

"I suggest you make good use of this time. It'll be a hectic week once inside the base, with lots more things to prepare. You probably won't get much chances to communicate with your loved ones. So, do make use of the time."

"Yes, sir!"

The previously rowdy atmosphere of the compartment soon turned quiet as each member retreated to their inner thoughts of who should they call. Families, friends, many others. Itami had already made up his mind to call Risa and checked up on her. It was not until Kurata broke the silence that everyone snapped out of their thoughts.

"So who you all calling?"

Kuwahara, who sat next to the sergeant, smacked him on the head for his insensitive question. "Private information."

"There's no harm in just saying, sarge." Kurata stood from his seat and started singling people out. "Tomita, who you calling?"

"Girlfriend."

Kurata nodded. "Daisuke?"

"Umm…my parents."

"Mari?"

"Same, parents."

"Shino?"

The brunette stayed quiet, unwilling to answer the question, gazing out the window at the passing countryside. Kurata suddenly looked embarrassed and he sat back down. He didn't ask anymore.

Itami gazed at Shino. Ever since returning from her leave, the female sergeant first class had yet to softened up even after all this time. While the rest of the team had begun to appreciate his presence, Shino stayed cold and aloof towards him. During the past two months, he had voluntarily trained and suffered with the Third Recon as he believed he himself should be undergoing the brutal regime the Marines were employing. His leadership skills had been lacking, but he had learnt much under the Lieutenant Bowman's tutelage. It was through hardship that comradery in the team grew stronger together; however, Shino was distant to everyone, and the rest of the team—except for Mari—seemed to stay away from her. Even Kuwahara had warned him to be careful around the female sergeant, and to give her some more time. How much more time, though, the sergeant major didn't specify.

Itami sighed, and saw Kuwahara nudged Kurata in the ribs.

"So since you've being a nose in everyone's business, who're you calling?"

"No one," the driver proclaimed as if it was a proud declaration.

"No one?" Itami asked, giving him a curious look.

"No one, sir. My parents would hardly care if I did, so fuck them."

Itami didn't know how to respond, and he glanced at Kuwahara, who shrugged. "I see, Kurata."

He moved further up the compartment and it was then he saw that Hitoshi Furuta, the tall private first class, was writing something down on a piece of paper. Curtesy told him to mind his own business and move on, but eventually curiosity won out.

"Hey what you writing there, Hitoshi?"

The private first class looked up at the second lieutenant. "Just a letter, sir. To my parents and sister."

"A letter? You're not going to call them?"

Hitoshi looked away before answering, tapping his pen on the seat table. "No, sir. I know how to put my words better on paper. If it's a phone call, I just don't know what to say to them."

Kuwahara, having heard the exchange, came up forward from his seat. He shook his head. "That won't do, Hitoshi. I think it's better if you call them."

"I don't know, Kuwahara."

"It's fine if you can't think of anything to say, at least they can hear your voice. Take it from me, since I'm a father, your parents will no doubt be happier than glad if they get to hear your voice. They want to hear from you, from your mouth directly. No letter can do that for them, no matter how well you write it."

The sergeant major placed a hand on the Hitoshi's shoulder, and the private paused before finally nodding. "You're right," he said, and he crumpled up the paper he was writing on.

Itami smiled at Kuwahara, pleased at how the sergeant major just had a way with the members of the team. "Nice one, Kuwahara," he whispered to the old sergeant as he returned to his seat.

Kuwahara nodded, but did not say anything else.

† † † † † † †

Everyone was glad to be off the train when it finally reached its destination. What initially started off as an enjoyable trip soon turned into a drag that didn't seem to have an end. And when the end did finally come, the members of the Third Recon had degenerated into an annoyed bunch of grumps, ready to snap at the slightest excuse. Six hour of train will do that to anyone.

Kuwahara watched as Itami groaned and stretched before speaking. The second lieutenant looked eager to dismissed everyone.

"Alright team, see you all in an hour. Do the necessaries. I'll be on the phone, so no one disturb me."

"Yes, sir."

The team dispersed and Kuwahara pulled out his smartphone, scrolling through his contact list before finally finding the number he wanted. His thumb reached for the call button, but then suddenly stopped, frozen. He glanced around the train platform, noticing the vast number of military personnel moving about with their luggage. Wanting to be somewhere more private, he headed towards a lone bench on the far end of the station.

Sitting down, his thumb still hovered over the call button, unable to pressed down. He glanced around once again. No one was near, and he knew this was the best place he could get to place his call. However, still something held him back and he screen-locked his phone, only to unlock it again moments later. He stared at the number for a long while, unable to build the resolve to ring it, as if there was a physical barrier preventing him from doing so.

A sigh escaped him.

"Come on, this is the only chance I'll get," he said to himself, his heart beating hard against his chest.

 _Make good use of the time._ Itami's words came suddenly to him, and he knew the lieutenant was right. Despite being new to the team, the officer clearly looked for the best interests of those under his command.

"Come on," he said it once again, and the confidence that was previously missing came.

Taking a deep breath, Kuwahara's thumb pressed down. The line began to ring.

He pressed the phone against his ear and before long the call was picked up. A young woman's voice came through.

" _Dad?"_

A small smile formed on his lips. "Yes, Miyo."

" _You're about to be deployed, are you?"_

"I am, in a week's time. This is probably the last time I can call you in a while." His heart fell by an inch as he spoke those words.

" _Oh…I see."_ A short silence. _"Have you spoken to Sen yet?"_

"No, I'll call your brother after you."

" _How long will you be gone?"_

"Six months at least. Might be longer if the higher ups want us to stay on the front line longer." He didn't add that there was rumour going about that said the average tour of duty for the recon company would most likely last longer than two years, given the essential need to explore the unknown land.

" _Hopefully they'll allow you to come home sooner for someone as old as you."_

If the circumstances had been any different, Kuwahara might have laughed at the light jab at his age. But, as it is, they were not. "Miyo, I've been thinking. Why don't you and Yoichi proceed with the wedding? There's no need to wait for me to get out. You both have my blessing. Yoichi is a good man, I trust him to take good care of you."

Miyo's response came immediately, _"Not an option, dad. You're going to be at my wedding no matter what. I'll postpone it as long as it takes until you're back."_

He sighed inwardly, having expected this answer. "Miyo, look, it's not fair to you and Yoichi to keep you two waiting. Your mother will want to see you get married if she were here. I can't honestly hold you back from your happiness."

" _Dad, you're not holding me back. Yoichi will understand. Mom's already gone, so don't worry about her. I just want you to be there. What's the point of my happiness if you aren't there to see me achieve it? Please come, dad, we'll wait for you."_

Kuwahara stayed silent for a long moment before exhaling a long breath. "You know, ever since your mother died, I've been rarely home in these years. I've spent too much time in base when I should have been with you and Sen. I haven't been much of a father to you two. I don't think I deserve to be there to see you and Yoichi made husband and wife." The words that he had kept in his heart for all this time came out, and he knew it was the right choice to say it. He had to be honest with his children. Otherwise, what else could he do?

It was long pause before the reply came through, and his heart pounded as the seconds dragged longer than it should have. Miyo's voice had turned low and she spoke with a seriousness that he had never heard her done so before. _"I've always been your little girl, dad. Always obedient and attentive, always listening to whatever you said. But for just this once, I'm going to go against you. I don't agree with anything you've just said. None of it. You're my father, no matter what. You're going to be at my wedding, no matter what. Even if you believe that lie that you haven't been much of a father, then what better chance to make up for it than to be there with me as I make my vows. What other chance, dad?"_

He couldn't answer. He knew she was right, and it gnawed at him to voice out his agreement out loud immediately. But, for some reason, the words couldn't come out.

" _Please come, dad. Please."_

It was then his reluctance—the thoughts telling him to say no—vanished completely.

Slowly, he opened his mouth and said, "Alright, I'll be there. Wait for me."

The shift in tone in Miyo was obvious, and he could imagine her smiling on the other end of the line.

"Don't worry, dad. We'll definitely wait."

† † † † † † †

Much had changed since the last time Itami had set foot on the streets of Ginza. Back then, it was still a pedestrian heaven, with buzzing businesses and wonders for sight-seeing. However now, there was nothing that looked the same. Cars were replaced with armour vehicles, civilians with military personnel, traffic lights with authorized checkpoints. And most of all, a mysterious Gate right in the middle of everything.

He glanced the men and women around him. After months of training for deployment, the 5th Brigade was ready to handle whatever the Special Region was going to throw at them—or at least they hoped they were. A long column of soldiers and vehicles lined the great length of Chuo Street, their face impassive as they waited for the order to begin the advance into the Special Region.

Spearheading the advance through the Gate was the 5th Tank battalion, with three squadrons of T90s, followed behind by the 5th Infantry Regiment. Itami and the Third Recon Team was somewhere in the middle of the column, and they could feel the cold in the air that spoke of a coming winter. Itami wondered whether the Special Region shared the same seasons as Japan.

Standing on the edges of both sides of the street were civilians. They were there to see off the men and women who would avenge the losses at Ginza. Itami spotted some were carrying banners calling for the closing the Gate, their shouts and protest reaching him even as he sat inside a LAV.

"Demolish the Gate!"

"No more blood!"

"Shut it down!"

But even as loud as they screamed and yelled, those few protesters were surrounded by seas of others who call for vengeance. Vengeance against an Empire that attacked their people without warning. It was now Japan's turn to take the fight to their homes and kill their men. No mercy. Anger, that was what filled most of the Japanese here on this day.

The 5th Brigade began moving forward, towards a podium in front of the Gate where Lieutenant General Hazama would address the Special Region Task Force. Itami signaled Kurata to drive ahead, and the driver simply nodded and gently released the clutch pedal, starting the LAV forward. One T73 truck and Toyota mobility vehicle followed from behind, carrying the rest of the Third Recon.

As the team moved forward, a wide monument the height of a man soon came up to their right.

The plaque at the base of the monument read:

 _The Ginza Memorial. Dedicated for the lives lost on 17_ _th_ _August, here on these streets._

Now that he was close enough, Itami could see a long list of names engraved on the flat face of the monument, and he clenched his fist as the memories of that day came back to him. In the days leading up to today, deployment day, his dreams had been haunted by the screams and cries that deafened his ears that day. He pushed the thoughts away, only partially successful.

He looked behind to the back seats and saw Shino reading the monument as well, her eyes flicking up and down the list with impunity. She must be looking for her brother's name, Itami reckoned, and as he regarded her, she suddenly turned to face forward again, catching him looking at her. She frowned at him, and he attempted a nervous smile, which was only ignored.

Sighing, Itami faced the front again. Before long, the whole brigade stopped moving and dismounted their vehicles before making their way in front of the podium. They stood in complete silence as Hazama moved to the center of the podium. From the distance, the lieutenant general was only a small speckle, but yet there was confidence in the man's movement that seemed to make his presence feel gigantic. Even the crowd quietened down completely for him to speak.

"Special Region Task Force," Hazama began. "We are here today for only one purpose. War. Behind me, lies the Gate, and beyond that, a whole new world. A different world, and, for all we know, a hostile world. The Empire struck us first without provocation, when we weren't ready. But now we are, and it's our duty to return the blow. Not a knockout blow though. A killing blow. Now is the time for us to take the fight to them."

The general gestured towards the Ginza memorial. "The loss of those lives on the 17th August will not go unanswered. I hope that each of you have taken a good look at the names on the memorial, and if you can, I ask that you never forget them, keep them in your hearts and minds for the duration of your deployment, because they are your mission. Your mission to avenge. To vindicate! To respond! Let the Empire know, _this_ is Japan's retaliation!"

The roar of those present was sudden and erupt, and it drowned out everything else. Indeed, if the Empire could hear the shouts and yells now, they would know. They would know.

Hazama motioned for quiet and the noise died down once again.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank the United States of America, for their dedication to their allies, who have rushed to our aid today without the slightest of hesitation. The 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force under Colonel Robert Jones are deploying with the 5th Brigade to the Special Region." Hazama gestured to a heavy built man who stood alongside where the three US Marines regiments were. "They will watch our backs and in time I hope we can prove to them that we will do the same."

Shouts of approval sounded from soldiers.

Hazama, who had maintained a stern expression, suddenly grinned, surprising many, especially those familiar with the lieutenant general's stoic nature. "Soldiers, Marines, Countrymen, we may be up against an entire empire by ourselves. We do not know what will happen to us on the other side of the Gate. But do not fear. Let the enemy fear. I expect that not long from now every citizen of the Empire will know the name of Japan and the USA, and they would know the price of war against our two nations. All of you here today, remember this; we are not just a task force, we are enforcers. Enforcers that are sent to the other world to collect the debt owed to the people of Japan. And not just any debt, it is a blood debt. Is it not a blood debt, Special Region Task Force?"

The men and women roared, cheering and yelling their assent. The thunderous noise was accompanied by the stomping of feet by the US Marines, who screamed out their signature call, "OORAH!"

The civilians applauded both the men and women of the JSDF and USMC, letting their excitement for the debt to be paid be known.

"Special Region Task Force," Hazama addressed once his signal for silence was received again. "We will now begin our advance through the Gate!"

"Yes, sir!" The entire task force saluted, to which Hazama returned and then walked off the podium.

"The opening words of the first chapter of To Kill An Empire," Mari said as the 5th Brigade began to return to their vehicles and positions along the column.

"Yes," Tomita said.

"So, to put the general's speech in simpler terms," Kurata said, getting into the driver's seat of the LAV. "We're going to make the bastards pay for what they did to us."

Itami saw out of the corner of his eyes Shino giving the slightest of nods to that.

The men manning the protective barrier surrounding the Gate pulled back the locks and slid open the barriers, revealing the strange building that had brought the army of another world. The irony now was that it would bring the response of Japan through to the Special Region.

"Here we go, guys," Itami said to his team through their headsets. "The advance scouts say that it's not much of a journey through the Gate. Perhaps half a mile long."

Kurata chuckled. "I think this is perhaps the hundred time I'm asking myself what have I gotten myself into."

"Think of it as a trip to your favorite cosplay world," Itami joked, though within he shared the same thoughts as the driver.

"Aye, I'll do that, lieutenant. You think we'll see some nekomimi there?"

"I hope so."

"The invasion is justified if we do. Damn, I can't believe we're doing this. A whole new world. I just can't fucking believe it."

Itami smiled. "You're not the only one, Kurata." He turned to the others. "How you guys doing?"

"We're alright, lieutenant," Tomita said, giving a thumb's up from where he sat manning the LAV's turret.

"Good, good." He looked at Shino whose eyes seemed glued to the structure of the Gate the entire time. "Kurabayashi, you okay?"

The female sergeant first class gave him a slight glance before nodding. "It's a bit unbelievable at the moment, sir."

"I know what you mean. Like Kurata said, it's a whole new world. Who would have thought this could happen?"

"Exactly."

The Gate came ever closer, and Itami could his stomach turning. This was it.

And thus, the Third Recon Team entered.

Inside the Gate was dark, and Itami called for lights. The headlights of the team's three vehicles shone. It was a cramp space within the Gate, especially since there were hundreds of men and women passing through at the moment. The humming of vehicles and the sound of footsteps echoed loudly and deafening, but strangely for Itami, he managed to find the ability to tune out the noise.

He looked at the wall on both his left and right, and saw strange writings—inscriptions that he had no chance of understanding. The lines and symbols were glowing a dark red colour, pulsating as if the building itself was alive. He wondered what sort of civilization built this place. Despite boasting of superior technology to the Empire, Japan had yet to even breach the depths of dimensional travel. There was more mystery to the Empire than what he knew.

All the while as the LAV drove on, his stomach continued to churn. No one was talking within the Gate, as if everyone had been entranced—bewitched—by the strangeness of the place. He could feel his head spinning a bit now, a slight pressure that seemed to have popped out of nowhere. He rubbed his forehead, closing his eyes for a mere moment.

When he opened his eyes again, the lines of the walls had stopped glowing red. Instead, a bright green glimmer had taken its place. Itami felt his heart lurched a bit. Glancing around, he noticed the others had witnessed the same thing, and so he resolved not to ask because he knew very well that none of them knew the answer to what was happening.

Around ten minutes later, a dull light appeared ahead at the distance. Itami brought his head closer to the windscreen so that he could get a better view, seeing how suddenly the ceiling of the Gate seemed to give way into a vast wideness.

"We're here," he heard Tomita said. Kurata nodded, not saying a word, as if it would break spell cast upon the task force since entering the Gate.

Itami rolled down his window and heard the sounds of a countryside, an enormous contrast to the sounds of the city that they had just left behind. Strong fresh air greeted Itami's face, making his cheeks cold, as the team drew near towards the exit, and he realized that it was nighttime in the Special Region; the dull light he'd saw earlier had been that of a night sky. It had been just near midday in Japan.

A minute later, the wheels of LAV rolled off the concrete pavement and onto softer grass, exiting the Gate. The Special Region Task Force seemed to have arrived on top of a high hill, with a wide domineering view of the surrounding lands. Grassy hills filled Itami's vision from one corner of his eyes to the other, their contours like an endless range of shadowed dunes on the surface of the land. The sky above, inhabited by myriads of shining stars and constellations, hosted a full moon, so clear in the open countryside whereas in a city the lights of buildings might have washed out its natural light. It was beautiful, a scene unlike any that he had ever seen before.

He was in another world.

"Wow," the word escaped him.

"Wow, indeed, sir," Kuwahara's voice came through his headset.

All of the Third Recon Team seemed to be amazed by what they were seeing. It was a strange sight to all of them, a land untouched by the wheels of modern technology. The natural beauty of it all was breathtaking. A sad fact that this was the land war would be made onto.

The noise of the moving armour and personnel of the JSDF suddenly returned to Itami's senses and he remembered that they still had their duties to do. He signaled for Kurata to continue moving. The LAV moved towards the edges of the hill and he gazed down the slope.

There, his heart fell.

All along the base of the hill was a large enemy camp. At least two legions or more. The Empire must have left these men to garrison the hill. Through the light provided by the countless of torches, he could see legionaries rushing to form up, minotaurs and ogres grunting heavily as they trudged along. There were thousands of them.

"Fuck, that's a lot of them," Kurata said.

Shino readied her rifle. "Sir, your orders?"

Itami realized the whole team was waiting for him to speak now, and he took a moment to figure out what to do. "We're recon. We don't engage. Come on, we're pulling back off the front."

He pointed Kurata to where the rest of the recon company was, who had begun setting up a defensive position, where they would still have a view of enemy legions.

As Kurata drove them there, Itami saw the squadrons of tanks and infantry who were ahead of the recon company in the column that entered the Gate were already in position and prepared for engagement.

"Looks like a fight is coming," Shino said, once the whole team dismounted their vehicles, looking a bit disappoint at not being able to fight the enemy.

Itami nodded. "We have to push them out of this area if we are to set up a base here."

They watched the movement of the Imperial army, but for some reason they had yet to advance up the hill.

"Why aren't they charging up the hill yet?" Hitoshi questioned.

"They could be waiting for us to make the first move," Kuwahara pointed out. "It's too dark to fight. We're in a good defensible position. And what's more, we're the invaders so we'll have to go to them rather than them coming to us."

"So they're just going to sit there?"

Kuwahara nodded. "Most likely."

Itami watched at the distance as the legions waited at the base of the hill, taunting and jeering, calling for the JSDF to come down and fight.

"That makes them sitting ducks for our artillery."

Just as Itami said that, the first tanks fired, the noise erupting both sudden and deafening. The darkness of the night was lit by the muzzle blasts coming from T90s and M2 Brownings. Rounds after rounds fired, with only the slightest of pause. The machines of war held no sympathies, they shoot to kill, exactly as they were designed to.

Screams and cries sounded from below as a mist of red now hid the legions from view. The previously dense formation was pummeled, battered, hammered repeatedly without respite. The soldiers of the Empire had no response, Itami even doubted that they knew what was happening, their confusion showing in the way they groped their way through the barrage as hundreds were falling left and right. One legionary was crying out, maybe in attempt to rally the others, but his efforts were largely ignored—or merely overshadowed by the sheer masses dying. The man didn't last long as a shell erupted on where he stood and when the blast cleared the man was no longer there.

The rout began when a group of ogres, given in to their natural response of flight rather than fight when faced with an opponent they cannot win against, scampered away into the countryside. The others, broken out of their stupor at the sight of their war beasts running, followed suit and dashed towards the distant hills where they hope would provide refuge for their lives. Unfortunately, one cannot outrun a speeding bullet.

Mercy? There was none on the slopes of this tall hill on which the Special Region Task Force had arrived upon. Itami heard the order to pursue being called out along the lines of tanks and infantry, and he watched them charged down the hill, killing all those that are left running.

There seemed to be no end to the rounds fired before it finally stopped, revealing a mess of bodies in the thousands where the army of the Empire was previously. Thousands dead, just like that. The wounded would be taken prisoners, but Itami saw some of the legionaries take their own lives when they saw the soldiers of the task force approaching, stabbing their own hearts with their swords. They rather die than bear the humiliation of capture.

Mari came forward, rubbing her head. "So this is war."

Tomita grunted, slinging his rifle over his shoulder. "Less prettier than I thought."

† † † † † † †

" _The Ginza Memorial._

 _A stone monument about three meters wide and two meters tall. Erected on the 17_ _th_ _October, the two months' anniversary of the Battle of Ginza, it is dedicated to the memory of the hundreds of lives lost during the tragedy. On the east-facing side of the memorial are inscribed the names of all 1347 victims, ranging from young to old._

 _A curious rumour regarding the memorial was that when the leaders of the perpetrators of the Empire's attack on Ginza were being taken on their way to the National Diet Building where they would be meeting the Japanese Emperor and Prime Minister, the van transporting them curiously took a wild detour that ended up in the district of Ginza. And, in another event of sheer coincidence, the van broke down as it passed by the Ginza Memorial, and the prisoners were ushered out and forced to kneel before the monument, facing the names of all those they killed as they waited for a second van to pick them up._

 _The Emperor and Prime Minister was said to have overlooked the prisoners' delay when they arrived at the Diet building three hours late."_

 _Visit Japan, Tourism Blog, 2029._

* * *

 **This chapter surprised me actually, really surprised me. When I started out writing this chapter, I thought that this chapter was prob going to be one of those boring ones that most people would rather skip. But then as I continued to write it, I started to gain a bit more interest in it. By the time I sent it off to my co-writer for editing, I thought that it was not too bad. And when I received the chapter back and read through it again, I was actually very happy with the whole chapter. That just goes to show that even if you think your writing is shit it might actually be good if you read it again.**

 **Anyway, we've got one more chapter left to the first arc of this story, then we'll have an interlude before beginning the second arc. I'm excited to write the second arc.**

 **Once again, thank you all who have reviewed, favorited, and followed. Hope you all keep on reading. Have a good day you people!**


	5. Chapter 4: Result

**Finally managed to get this chapter done. At first I wrote like 3,500 words for the first draft and then I decided to scrap it and rewrite another one because I found a different approach to this chapter. So that took a bit of time. Also the editing took a while, my co-writer had a busy week with tests and assignments. But now it's finally done. Apologies for the wait, do enjoy the final chapter of Arc 1: Retaliation.**

* * *

 **Retaliation: Results**

It was funny, Kaeso thought, that there were no birds in the air. Perhaps it was because it was near winter time when the birds would have probably gone south, where it was warmer.

He had a lot of time to think these days, so idle thoughts crossed his mind often. Ever since his liege lord called on his oath of fealty to bear arms against an invader who he had never heard of, his days usually consist of hard marching and more marching and then finding a place to sleep. He rather be back home now, back working the land and gathering enough food to survive the coming winter. The war between the Empire and whoever the enemy was wouldn't care if he was there or not.

But nevertheless, he was bound by oath and so here he was. The highway was long, and his face was full of the dust that was kicked up by those ahead of him in the column. It didn't help that it had rained the previous day, and now the stone road was mucky with dirt and mud that he had to trudged on. His sandals were nearly worn out, having travelled the greater part of a four hundred miles' journey. In fact, nearly all his clothing was worn out; his tunic, his trousers, and the rag excuse of a cloak. Having been a serf his whole life, he didn't have the luxury of affording better clothing. That left him in a state of looking more like a hapless beggar rather than a man fighting for his lord. He was sure that if he were to appear before the enemy right now, they would get a good laugh from him rather than be frightened at all.

The enemy would definitely be frightened of the size of the army coming for them though. He heard men say around the camp fires at night that the size of the army was nearly three hundred thousand. Three hundred thousand! It was simple unheard of. Kaeso knew there was no chance of the invaders triumphing.

Ahead of him, the sound of marching men was like a hammer pounding on an anvil, iron boots stomping the ground, kicking up a vast amount of dust on the road. Horses, thousands of them, led the head of the column, and on them rode legionaries donned with sets of polished armour, their grey helmets topped by dark red plumes. They were followed by the infantry, whose gait were synchronized so that each step taken would echo a resounding noise down the column. The banners under which the men marched were numbered in the hundreds, and each design was different and distinct from one another, sporting from simple insignias to more elaborate sigils.

Kaeso couldn't help but admire the legionnaires, envied their beautiful armour and swords. With men such as them, he wondered why he was even needed. He had no armour and no weapons except for an old woodcutter axe so blunt it was more like to knock someone out than kill. Surely, the legionaries could win the war by themselves. One Kaeso or a few hundred Kaesos was unlikely to make an impact.

He looked up in the sky again and blinked in surprise. Dragons, flying along the column of marching men in patrol. The afternoon sun glinted off their silver scales, and for a moment Kaeso took the time to admire their magnificence. It was a rare thing to see a dragon back in his village, and this was his first time seeing them in numbers. What was it like, he wondered, flying high in the air? Somedays he wished he could ride a dragon, but he knew very well given his luck that he would just fall off the saddle and crash into the ground headfirst.

And so he thought it would best if he stayed on the ground and just marched. Marched where though? Alnus Hill. A name that didn't mean anything to Kaeso as did the cities of Sadera or Italica, names he'd only heard of but never seen. To him, his world was just the small village he was born and raised in, and all that matter was whether he could last the year without starving. The Emperor, the Senate, the kings and lords, he could care less about them.

"Gods, why do they need us here?" Kaeso asked out loud.

"Hell would I know?" Lucius, another man in his late-twenties from Kaeso's village, replied. "The Emperor calls his vassals to war, and so in turn our King Duran call his vassals, and again they call theirs."

"So where does that leave us?"

"We?" Lucius laughed. "We, Kaeso, are the lowest of the low. We spend our entire lives licking the shits under the boots of our betters. And when they call us to arms, we fight for them."

"Then why do we do it? They got plenty of others to fight for them."

Lucius shrugged. "Ain't nothing we can do about it. That's the way it is in life."

Kaeso grunted, knowing that his friend was right. No matter how much he complained, it was not going to change a single thing.

It was then Sir Linus, the man in charge of the levies from Kaeso's village, came back from wherever he had been. He was an aging man, who had once fought in two wars before retiring to the village. He rode on a grey courser, and wore a worn suit of armour that was glinting of polish and old sheen.

"Not far now, men. About another day's journey to Alnus Hill."

The men nodded in assent, glad that the days of marching were now almost over.

"It'll all be over soon, then we can all go home," Sir Linus said, probably not too eager on the fighting himself, having been through enough in his lifetime.

Kaeso could only grunt his agreement to that.

"It won't be much of a fight," Linus said. "Word is, the enemy are less than ten legions' strength."

"Less than ten legions only?"

Sir Linus smirked. "Hard to believe right? But it seems so that way, it's been two months since the invaders arrived to the Empire's land, and yet they still haven't made any further advance. That only signals that they do not have enough men to risk a long campaign."

Kaeso took the news with a surprised face. "Why do they need us then? We have more than sixty legions here."

Linus shrugged. "Our oaths demand it, Kaeso. When our liege calls for it, we fight."

Kaeso looked sullen. He did not say out loud that it was not an oath he made, but that of his ancestors when they first settled in the land and hereby extended to him as long as he lived.

"It won't be a battle then," he said.

"No, it'll be a massacre."

† † † † † † †

The armies of the Empire first appeared on the horizon, heralded by the first specks of dragons in the distant skies, then the horses on the border of hills, before finally the infantries and beasts. Itami and Kuwahara stood on the northern wall of the Special Region Task Force base, watching as more and more arrived, their numbers never seeming to end, each hour bringing forth more men and beasts.

All Recon operations were suspended in the lead up to the coming conflict, and so the Third Recon were in base, watching the enemy. The information they managed to collect told them that the army before them was composed of the many vassal kingdoms of the Empire, called to war by their oaths of fealty. The banners of the different kings and lords covered the edge of the horizon, like an oncoming procession.

They must be confident of victory, Itami thought, especially with their numbers. Opposing them, the Special Region Task Force was barely composed of eight thousand men. Eight thousand vs three hundred thousand sounded more like a death sentence rather than a battle. But Itami was still confident that the Task Force would prevail nevertheless. Nothing the Empire had shown was capable of beating the might of modern firearms. Though, looking at the vast numbers before his very own eyes, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

The progress of the armies was painfully slow and it had taken half a day before they had navigate around the bend of one hill and began setting up their camps. Tents soon appeared, as did a wooden palisade wall around the encampment. Itami frowned at the futility of such petty defense against the firepower the Task Force was capable of.

He looked around at the forward operating base, built around the Gate. In just a short time, Alnus Hill had transform from a land untouched by modern machinery into a hub buzzing with activity of military personnel. The shape of the base was like that of a five-pointed star; it was a strange design, but it was done so that every approach of attack the enemy took, they would be hit with flanking fire on both sides.

All around the FOB, artilleries, heavy guns, anti-aircraft guns for dragons were set out, facing towards the armies of the Empire. He imagined that given the order these guns could strike out at the Imperial camps now, but he assumed that General Hazama wanted the enemy to approach closer first, where the killing would be all but guaranteed. The lack of capable artillery on the Empire side had already decided their fate.

"So, they're finally here." Itami checked the date on his watch. "Two months. Took them long enough."

Kuwahara nodded. "I've never seen that many people in one place. Let alone a battlefield."

"Same here," Itami replied.

"So where are we going to be in the battle, sir?"

"We'll be securing one of those smaller hills to the right of Alnus. Captain Saza wants us to keep a look out there, but looks like we won't get to see any direct action. We're pretty much the reserves of the reserves. Combat units are on the frontlines and I doubt the enemy could penetrate the base's walls. We've built this place to be impregnable to these Imperials, they can't win, even with the numbers' advantage."

"I see, sir."

"Are you disappointed?" Itami looked questioningly at the sergeant major.

The aging man merely shook his head, a light smile on his face. "No, sir. I'm too old to have that combat lust most youngsters have. Kurata and the others might, but me? No, I'm quite content with where I'm put. What about you, sir?"

"Truth be told, a little." Itami rubbed his neck. "I've spent my entire military career in a base, and here's a battle that I never thought would happen and I have to guard a hill away from the frontlines. So yes, I am a little disappointed. But I still haven't forgotten the feeling I had when I was at Ginza and I'm not sure if I want to experience that feeling again…I don't know."

"I understand, sir."

"This reminds of a question I asked myself a while ago. Why did I join the military? Was it because I was trying to be patriotic or was it because I only wanted a stable job? I don't know. If it was patriotism, I should be itching to get into this fight now, to avenge the deaths of my people. But at the same time if it was the other reason, I should be over the moon with not having to fight. I don't feel anything though."

"Maybe it's a bit of both, sir." Kuwahara folded his arms. "Most of the time, the answer to the questions we ask are never so one-dimensional."

"Yeah, maybe. You're right, there."

They continue to watch the enemy in silence, whose numbers seemed to cover every inch of grassland. The noise of their marching could be heard from the distance, their drums beating a rhythm of war. It was war indeed and a battle would seal the fate between the two forces soon to clash. The sun was setting and it would be evening in an hour or two.

"They won't attack tonight I think," Itami said, seeing the sky turning dark. "The battle will be tomorrow."

"You mean massacre, sir?" Kuwahara pulled out a cigarette.

"Yes."

† † † † † † †

"Well, good luck boys," Kaeso called out to the men who would be making the first assault.

He sat on the ridge of a hill where he had a clear view of the coming battle. It looks like he wouldn't be taking part in any fighting since it would be all over after the first assault. The enemy was indeed small in numbers, while the allied army swelled and covered miles and miles of land.

He gazed at the enemy fortification and frowned. It was a strange design, a star-shaped; he didn't know much about castles and forts, but in the distance this one looked imposing. Was this fortress always here in Alnus Hill? He hadn't heard of any castle on the hill before. There was no way the enemy could have built one this size in less than a year.

The enemy they were facing was a strange one. Last night, Kaeso could see bright lights coming from within the base, illuminating the night sky brilliantly. How did they conjure up such lights? If it was the works of their mages, why would they waste their energy on lighting the sky? Kaeso shook his head; he was at it again with those idle thoughts.

He returned attention back to the legionaries of the first assault, six legions of the vanguard, marching forward towards the hill. The rising morning sun glinted off their armour, and they moved with perfect discipline, keeping formation as they traversed the difficult grounds of the area. The leader of the assault group, a duke who like many others Kaeso could not recognize at all, rode near the middle of the ranks, directing his troops towards the fortification.

The dragons were on deck on the peaks of a roll of hills to the right. The riders were grinning from one to another, leaning forward on their saddle pommels, confident in the defeat of the invaders already. They were the best of the Empires, knights who had each won a sword tournament and thus given the prestigious rights to mount dragons, and they waited eagerly for the moment to take flight and wreak havoc upon the enemy.

The allied army was coordinate by a series of flag and horn signals, which Kaeso to this moment had no idea of interpreting and had to rely on Sir Linus to tell him what they were.

Lucius sat next to him, digging into a bowl of broth and stale bread.

"Looks like we won't get any loot," he said with a mouth full. "Once the battle is over, the fortress is going to be stripped of everything before either of us can get in."

"I know right, this is such a waste of time. Looks like it'll be a hard winter once we're back home."

"Aye."

The legionaries were getting closer to the fortress now. Their weapons were now drawn, and Kaeso could see them quickening their pace now. It won't be long before they break into a run and carry the rush of men into the fortress, killing the enemy and sending them back to wherever they came from. The assault group carried ladders, and the minotaurs carried rams to break through the gates of the fortress. There was nothing the enemy could do to stop this torrent of men, surely, Kaeso thought.

Then a bang sounded, followed by a long, ominous din and the next thing Kaeso knew was happening was the sight of hundreds of men going up in flames, blown into the air without warning. A chain reaction of explosions engulfed the six legions, each blast throwing clumps of dirt towards the sky, only to rain back down to the bloodied ground. Kaeso could hear thunder but he could see no lightning, only fire and blood.

"What the fuck!" He stood up suddenly. The land seemed to have erupted.

He could hear the screams and shouts. What the hell was going on? Was this the doing of the enemy?

There was no end to blasts, one after another they kept coming. And men died, burned, blown to pieces. Arms, legs, torso flying everywhere. Kaeso saw the one legionary on the ground, screaming and crying, his left arm missing and the stump overflowing with blood, too much blood.

The signal for the dragons sounded, and the dragons rose into the air, soaring towards the enemy fortress.

Then the dragons started falling to the ground as well, shot by something so fast that it was hard to see. Their blood sprayed over the battlefield as they spiraled to the ground, their scales all but penetrated and pierced; silver tainted with dark red. Their riders tried their best to keep control but it was too late, they had no control any longer, and they died as they crashed into the ground.

Explosions, fires, flames, blood hid the battlefield. When it cleared for a small moment, Kaeso gasped in horror. The leading assault group was gone, and in their place, was the masses of bodies and blood and carnage. They didn't even touch the enemy. They hadn't even made it halfway towards the fortress. They had come expecting to deliver a massacre, but received one instead.

"What just happened, Kaeso?" Lucius asked, equally shocked, standing as well now.

Kaeso couldn't reply. He could only stare as the horns calling for retreat sounded, but there was no one left to heed the call.

They were all dead.

† † † † † † †

Kurata approached warily, rifle hot and finger on the trigger.

The dragon that had crashed into the base after being shot out of the sky laid on its flank in front of him, blood pouring out of its chest and head. It gave a weak roar as Kurata came closer, but then faltered in pain, letting out long, hard breaths, indicating that it did not have long to live.

Its rider, a burly man with a thick moustache, was several meters from where it was, having miraculously survived the crash. However, his legs were broken—shattered by the looks of it—and he whimpered in pain as he tried to crawl away, leaving a messy trail of blood in his wake.

Kurata ran up to him and trained his sights down on him. "Don't move!"

The man froze and began pleading in his language, which Kurata didn't knew a word of.

"Daisuke, Tomita, over here!" Kurata called out, not letting his sights drift away from the legionary, and waited as his two teammates came running. "Daisuke, ask him to surrender."

The Third Recon's smart-aleck spoke the question in Falmart native language, being one of the few who actually took the time to learn the strange language. The wounded legionary responded, unbuckling a sword sheath from his belt and holding it out.

"He says he surrenders," Daisuke said. "Take his sword as a gesture."

Tomita stepped forward and accepted the man's blade. "He needs a medic."

Kurata nodded and lowered his rifle, then spoke into his headset. "Mari, do you copy? We need you and a stretcher right now, over." He received a response and turned to face the others. "She's rushing here."

Their prisoner's face was leaking with tears at the sheer amount of pain and Kurata felt a touch of sympathy for him, despite being the enemy. "Daisuke, can you calm him down?"

"I'll try," the leading private said. "I'm bad with words though."

"I know that—I saw you make a little girl cry once. But just do what you can. Tell him help is coming." Kurata let out a sigh and looked towards the direction where the Empire was making their assault, the sound of guns and artillery vibrating through the air. "Fuck. This is their third assault and they're still throwing more men at us each time."

"They think their numbers can overwhelm us," Tomita said.

"Well, it doesn't. Not against our weapons. Don't you think they would've learnt their lesson already?"

Tomita shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe they'll do this until all of them are dead."

"They're just killing themselves." Kurata grunted, spitting on the ground in disgust. "And I thought Japan had a high suicide rate."

† † † † † † †

Night assault. That was the words being passed around camp. Everyone would have to take part. So ready the weapons.

Kaeso felt his hands shaking, and could not find a way to make them stop. He would be fighting this time. What chances did he have of surviving if the first four assaults had failed so miserably? Each time the legionaries hadn't even made it halfway, and the effect on morale was increasingly visible as most began to doubt if their survival—let alone victory—was even possible now.

He gripped his axe tightly till his knuckles were so white that it was visible even in the dark of the night. He would die here, he knew it. What can he do?

A hand fell on his shoulder, and he jumped startled.

"Woah easy there, Kaeso. It's me," Lucius said, attempting a tension-diffusing smile.

The smile did nothing to calm Kaeso. "Oh sorry, Lucius."

"You okay?"

He shook his head. "I can't do this. We can't win this. We can't. We're going to die."

"Shut it. Don't say that. If you're going to be so pessimistic then you might as well slit your throat now."

"I might as well."

Lucius's hands gripped both of Kaeso's shoulders, and he made Kaeso look at him straight in the eye. "Look at me. Don't worry, things will be alright. I'll keep you safe, man."

"How can you say that for sure?"

"It's not for sure. But you can bet I'll do it nevertheless. I'm scared as well, you know."

Kaeso stared straight into his friend's face and saw that he was entirely serious. They had grown up together, went through all the up and downs, the famines, the droughts, the plagues, and each time he had thought it was all over. Perhaps it was the same here? "Aright. Thanks man."

"Come on, Sir Linus is calling for us to assemble."

The men of the village gathered and Sir Linus paced in front of them, giving them a clasp on their shoulder. The old veteran was the face of cool and calm, but yet Kaeso knew on the interior the man must be scared to his core just like the all of them; the sheer scale of destruction and death was something the knight had not seen before throughout his experiences.

"Don't fear!" he said unconvincingly. "We'll pull through. Keep quiet when you move, keep quiet, not a single noise. The key to this night raid is silence. Once we surprise the enemy with this attack, the battle is over and we can all go home. So for the mothers-who-bore-you-lot's sake, keep quiet!"

An hour later, the order came for the night assault to begin. Kaeso and Lucius trudged silently among the masses towards the fortress. Their shoes were covered with cloth so to muffled the noise they made by moving. Each person kept a good grip on their weapon so that they wouldn't rattle against something and alert the enemy of the incoming assault.

The night was especially dark, there was no moon, and Kaeso thanked the gods for that. He reached the stretch of ground between the enemy fortress and the allied camps, and it was there he began climbing through the masses of bodies from the previous assaults, already rotting. The stench was horrible and Kaeso did his best not to puke as his feet stepped on soft, mushy flesh. He lost his footing several times and had to steady himself with a hand on the ground, sometimes touching cold, dead skins, sending chills through his entire body.

The night assault group made it pass the bodies, and Kaeso could see the walls of the fortress loomed closer, his heart pounding more than ever and threatened to burst through his chest.

There were no blasts yet, like there were in the previous assaults, and Kaeso took heart that that meant the enemy hadn't spotted them yet. Someone tripped and cursed involuntarily, causing Kaeso to clinched in worry. But still the enemy didn't stir.

Then, the area was flooded with lights, drowning the darkness. It was so bright that it blinded Kaeso's eyes. He yelped, shielding his eyes with his arm. When his vision returned he saw that the lights were coming from the fortress, and in growing dread, he realized that it was all over. The night assault had already failed.

Someone was calling for the men to sprint for the walls, attack in mass, but Kaeso was inching his way back.

A hand gripped his arm and forced him forward. "Move!"

He stumbled forward, and the press of men behind pushed him forward against his will.

Then the next few moments became a blur as the explosions came again. The barrage began its never-ending cycle—bang, din, blast, dead, repeat. Men only stared in horror as they could do nothing to stop death's hands coming for them. In flames and blood, they died.

The ground beneath Kaeso's feet rocked, gave way, and he fell.

"No. No. NO!" he screamed.

He had dropped his axe somewhere, but he didn't care for it anymore. His legs refused to obey him to get up and he could feel his entire body shaking with absolute fear. The screams and yelps reached his ears from everywhere, the sound of death getting louder and louder with each second.

"Get down, Kaeso!" Someone jumped on him, pinning him onto the ground. It was then, he felt flames suddenly burning his skin and the air turn instantly scalding hot. He screeched in horror. But then it all went away, and when his senses returned he realized who was on him.

 _I'll keep you safe, man._

"LUCIUS!"

Lucius's back was charred black, and his face, almost unrecognizable, was covered in dirt, grime and blood. He had saved Kaeso's life by pushing away from a blast.

"Lucius!" Kaeso screamed.

He hooked his arms around Lucius and began carrying him towards camp, away from the massacre. All around him, the rout was already beginning. Men and beast, all running for their lives.

"Come on, we need to get out of here!"

Lucius's breath was ragged and slow, and it seemed that each breath only brought him more pain.

"Stay with me, Lucius!"

It was then another explosion erupted to the left of Kaeso, knocking them both to the ground. Something hit Kaeso in the head, and men ran over him, stepping on him without regard as they ran. He let out a roar of pain as his back was trampled on and on, his head kicked and stomped. The chaos turning the assault group's mentality into every man for himself.

The sound of the chaos was deafening and horrible and Kaeso could not get up. The roaring thunder before each explosion, the crash as each blast landed, the cries and shrieks as men died. His ears were bleeding and he clamped his hands to his ears.

It was still too loud!

He dug a hole in the ground, and stuck his head inside, stuffing dirt into his ears to muffle the noise.

Please gods, please let it be over!

† † † † † † †

The vultures were in numbers and force today, hovering in the dull morning sky. The cold, winter day promised insufferable weather to come, with signs that it will only get colder as the season progressed. The silence in the air was unsettling and no one broke it to comment on that fact, many staying to their own thoughts.

Mari squatted down next to one of the thousands of bodies that littered the slopes of the hill. The man had buried his head inside the ground, and his hands were covering his ears. She didn't need to look any further to know that he was dead.

"This one suffocated himself," she said with a heavy sigh, and she looked at the next closest body; it was burnt to bits.

"Looks like it," Shino replied, standing beside her.

Mari glanced around, chewing her lips. Tiredness weighed down on her, despite it still being early morning. "Just what the hell is this place?"

Shino shrugged, seemingly unaffected by the sight of death all around her. "Hell?"

"Seems so." Mari stood up, wiping her hands on a piece of cloth that was already dirtied with dried blood before tossing it away.

Shino placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, let's get back. I've seen enough."

† † † † † † †

" _ **Battle of Alnus Hill (March 3-8, 2017)**_

 _Belligerents:_

 _Special Region Task Force:_ _Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces,_ _United States Marine Corps_

 _The Empire:_ _Kingdom of Elbe,_ _Kingdom of Alguna,_ _Kingdom of Mudwan,_ _League Principality_

 _Commanders:_

 _Special Region Task Force:_ _Lieutenant General Koichirou Hazama,_ _Colonel Robert Jones_

 _The Empire:_ _King Duran of Elbe (MIA, presumably KIA),_ _King Rufin of Alguna (KIA),_ _King Tyre of Mudwan (KIA),_ _Duke Sester of League (KIA)_

 _Strengths:_

 _Special Region Task Force: 1 strengthened Japanese brigade, 3 Marine regiments; 8,244 men total_

 _The Empire: 62 legions; 298,345 men total_

 _Casualties and losses:_

 _Special Region Task Force: None_

 _The Empire: 160,000 Imperial casualties_

 _Result:_

 _Overwhelming Special Region Task Force victory_

 _Empire vassal states incapacitated to fight for the rest of the war_

 _From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia."_

* * *

 **And so the first arc is complete. Man, this battle scene was difficult to write because it was sort of repetitive to just have boom boom, dead imperials. In the end I decided to change from my original plans and write it in this perspective.**

 **Anyways, with the first arc out of the way, the second arc is of course coming next. Now the second arc is where all the interesting parts that I really want to write in this story. A lot of writers say that the middle of story is the hardest to write and they called it the dreaded middle, but for me I find the middle the most interesting to write. Because you can have a great opening and a great ending, but if you have a shitty middle to connect the two, the story falls apart. So here's to hope that me and my friend can produce a good second arc and middle story for you people.**

 **Now having said that, the next chapter is going to be an interlude. An interlude entirely written by my co-writer while I head off to London for the weekend to meet up with highschool friends. I already saw what he plans for the interlude and gave the go-ahead, and I have to say, it's brilliant. A simple idea, but fits perfect into this story. But don't take my word for it, he doesn't need me to toot his horns any more than what needs tooting.**

 **So catch you all soon. Take care, and I'll see you people when I'm back.**


	6. Interlude 1: Refugee

**Almost a month since I last updated, apologies for the wait. Anyway, hope you people had a good holiday season so far. New Year's is just round the corner, and I'm looking forward to that. Looking back at the whole year, 2016 has been a rough year for me personally and I don't mean it in a bad way, just had to go through with a lot of changes in my life like going to uni, living independently, and separating with old friends. I, like most people, don't really like change, I usually like things to stay the way things are. But the fact is life is full of changes, and we just have to go with it. Who knows, some changes are for the better. Well, here's to hoping for the best in 2017!**

 **So as I mentioned in the footnotes of last chapter, this is chapter is an interlude. My friend/co-writer wrote this by himself, I only helped with the dialogues. He took a while to finish this because he's quite a slow writer, but I have to say, after I first read the draft he sent me, the wait was worth it. Also special thanks go out to** The Tundra Fox **for helping editing and sharing his thoughts on this interlude.**

* * *

 **Falmart: Refugee**

 **1**

A village was burning, the wild flames lighting the night sky with display. Sixty men-at-arms plundered the place, kicking down flimsy doors, ransacking houses, probing floorboards, checking wells and anywhere which the peasants would hide their valuables. Stores of ham, smoked fish, caskets of salt, barrels of ale, were what they mostly found. But some houses yielded small hordes of silver coins, and they went into the pockets of the raiders, which will only serve to be gambled around later. Anything worthless, the bandits burned. Burned and burned until the whole village was going up in flames, the fire easily spreading from one wooden building to another.

The screams of the villagers had never ceased from the moment the bandits came, and even as they were struck to be silent, they cried out to the gods. However, the gods did not listen to their pleas, and they could do nothing as their homes burned. The raiders had killed the men of the village. The women and children, however, they let live, for they could be sold to slavery or used for their own amusement. The prettiest of which were already beaten to the ground, their skirts lifted and cries ignored as the men-at-arms took their turns, grinning as they indulged in heinous sin, knowing that no one could stop them.

They howled and hooted, cheering in their spoils and the hurt they have caused. Rich man they were. They were on a plundering spree, traveling across the countryside, going from village to village and killing their inhabitants. Now they left their latest victim, gone into the dark once more to enjoy their gains and search for yet more prey. The village was left burning, its inhabitants dead, missing, or taken prisoner.

Lusia ran for her life, her lungs burning and legs moving as fast it could. She held the hand of her brother, who was doing his best to keep up, though with an injured foot it was proving to be a struggle. The young boy of twelve summers old tripped many times as Lusia led the climb up a hill, on which she hoped would provide a brief refuge from the invading men-at-arms.

"Get up, Vel!" she called out when the boy fell again. "Get up!"

She reached down to pull her brother up, panting and struggling. And then, they were running again, the wind blowing hard at their faces as they could feel the heat of the burning village behind them.

They reached the peak of the hill and started a sprint down the other side, their bodies spent and tired. Once Lusia judged they were far enough to be safe, she dropped to the ground, pulling her brother down as well.

"Stay down," she whispered harshly, then listened carefully.

There were no sounds of any pursuers, only the howl of a cold, wild wind and the panting of their breaths. She let out a sigh of relief.

"We got away," she said gratefully before turning to her brother. "You okay there, Vel?"

Vel had to catch his breath for a few moments before he could answer, and she waited patiently, all the while keeping her ears open for any signs of bandits coming in this direction.

"I'm okay," Vel finally replied, only to break into a fit of cough.

"You sure?"

"I'm fine."

"We have to get out of here. We can't stay here long."

'I know. But where are we going?"

Lusia paused for a moment as she thought. "There's another village not far from here, we'll go there. How's your foot?"

"It's fine."

Lusia frowned. "Show it to me."

"I said it's fine," Vel said fiercely.

"Vel, now's not the time! Show it." Without waiting for her brother to respond, Lusia forcibly grabbed his right foot, eliciting a yelp of pain. It was clearly swollen, and she saw Vel flinching when she touched the ankle. "It's broken," she said.

"I can still walk," Vel said weakly. "I mean I just ran with you."

Lusia didn't respond for a moment; she was thinking of what to do. With an injury like this, Vel could hardly make the journey to the next village. But what choice did they have?

"Do you think you can make it to the next village?" she asked.

Vel nodded. "I have to."

"Okay, we'll rest for a bit now, then we'll get moving. If you're in too much pain, just say so. Don't try to act tough."

"Okay, Lusia. But the same thing goes to you as well. Don't try to act tough. Ma and Pa are dead now, we're all that we've got left." Vel's voice choked up a little as he said those last words and he looked away to hide the tears leaking from his eyes.

To that, Lusia nodded and smiled a sad smile. She looked up at the sky and saw the grey pillars of ash and smoke that rose from the village that had been her home all up to only a few minutes ago. Never did she thought she would leave this place. But now it was all gone, along with her parents, friends, neighbors, and almost everything she held dear.

She shook her head. No, she couldn't afford to get emotional now. The days to come would long and hard; she had her brother and herself to take care of.

 **2**

The morning sun came after what felt like forever and Lusia was grateful for its slight warmth, having walked through the entire night in near freezing conditions. The winter days were harsh in Falmart and, by experience, it would only grow worse. If they do not find safe shelter by the time the snow starts falling, they would have no chance of surviving.

"There's the river," Lusia said. Ahead of them was the bank of a slow-flowing river, and she hurried towards it, supporting her brother, whose right foot—after hours of walking—had swelled even further until it looked like a melon.

Vel coughed in acknowledgment, his body shivering from the cold.

"Hang in there, Vel."

She set her brother down gently by the bank—close enough so that he could reach and drink from the river—before scooping with both hands into the river as well. The water was freezing, the cold causing her to coughed several times, but she drank greedily with relish, and her throat—parched and dry—was grateful for it.

Once she was finished, she stood up, wiping the dirt on her hands on her skirt. "I'm going to find us something to eat."

"I'll help," Vel said, forcing himself to stand.

She frowned. "No. You stay here. You can barely even walk."

Either knowing that it was futile to argue or he was just too tired, Vel stayed quiet, and Lucia wondered where could she go to find food. She had nothing to hunt with, no knife to kill wild marmots, no nets to catch fishes in the river. She saw some trees in the distance and started heading towards there, hoping that there might be some fruits to eat.

Thankfully, she found some wild berries growing in bushes, and she set about foraging, gathering as much as she could in her pockets.

An hour later, she went back to her brother, who she saw was standing in the middle of the stream, attempting to catch some fish with his bare hands.

"You're not going to catch any, Vel. Get out of there, you shouldn't be moving too much," she said, too tired to raise her voice.

"My ankle is rested enough."

"Just get out and eat," she said, taking out the berries she had gathered and piling them on the ground.

Exhaustion weighed heavily behind her eyes, and she was doing her best to resist the temptation to close them, her skin feeling the cold.

"You should rest, Lusia," Vel said as he carefully climbed onto the river bank, his body dripping with water. "I'll keep watch."

She nodded. "I'll start a fire first."

"Isn't that dangerous? What if someone sees it?"

"We'll have to take that chance. We'll freeze if we don't get a fire going."

The fire did not take long to start. Luckily, there had been many twigs and loose branches lying around that weren't too wet to kindle, and when the flames were large enough, Lusia laid down next to it, enjoying the warmth as she attempted to sleep. However, Vel began to fall into a series of coughing fits, and eventually she sat up.

"You okay there, Vel?"

"I'm fine," he said, only to coughed again.

"You're catching a cold. Stay closer to the fire." Then she saw his clothes were wet for he had been standing in the river. "Take off your wet clothes and dry them by the fire. I'll lend you my cloak."

"You'll freeze!" Vel protested.

"I'll be fine." She pulled over her cloak, leaving only a thin chemise on, the cold air biting at her exposed skin, and handed the cloak to her brother. "Just do it."

Vel complied, taking off his breeches before wrapping the cloak around his legs. "Thanks," he said.

She got up and went over to sit next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, pressing her body against his so that they shared body temperature. "Stick close to me, Vel," she whispered, and felt his head nod. "We'll get through this."

For the next hour, they slept sitting in this position, Vel's head tucked in the neck of Lusia, her shoulder his pillow, and her arm his support, their breaths visible in the air. Their boots were off, and their feet now show their array of blisters and sores, masked heavily by the dirt and grime accumulated since their escape from their burning home.

And when it began to rain, the first drops hitting Lusia's head and waking her, Vel was still fast asleep, the exhaustion gained from the night before clearly showing. She slowly got up, stretched the ache out of her cold bones, and then lifted him into her arms with great effort, carrying him as she searched for better shelter.

The rain fell on her without remorse, growing heavier and heavier by the second, but she kept moving onwards with no signs of despair, only clutching her brother closer to her body, so that the rain drops would not fall on his head.

 **3**

When the rain finally slowed to a drizzle, it was near evening, the sky turning into an overcast of yellow as the sun made its way towards the horizon. The land was entirely quiet, except for the pitter patter of raindrops hitting the ground.

Lusia stuck a hand out of the makeshift shelter she created from stacking loose branches and broken old roots against a tall chestnut tree.

"It'll be safe enough to walk soon," she said. Her head throbbed and her body felt especially warm, and she feared that she may have caught a fever.

"Maybe we should stay here? It'll get dark soon," Vel said. The boy had been surprised when he had woken up in a different place from the one he slept at, and he rebuked his sister for not just waking him up earlier.

Lusia shook her head. "No, we need to get to the next village soon."

She felt a wave of nausea suddenly and she shut her eyes, pressing one hand against her mouth.

"Are you okay, Lusia?" Vel asked.

"I'm okay," she lied.

It was cramp inside the shelter, and they were practically hugging each other in order to fit within. So, when Vel moved his hand to check on Lusia, it tangled into an awkward mess of limbs.

"What are you doing!" Lusia demanded.

"Stop moving!"

Finally, Vel managed to get a hand to touch his sister's forehead, and he frowned. "Shit. You're sick," he said.

"I'm not."

"You have a fever, Lusia."

Lusia opened to argue again, but then another wave of nausea hit and she backed down.

"You should eat something," Vel said.

She nodded. "There's still some berries inside my pocket," she replied.

After another rough shift of movement, Vel took out two small blueberries and passed it to Lusia, who promptly popped it into her mouth.

"We really should get moving soon," she said as she chewed. If they stayed here any longer, they not only run the risk of freezing to death, but also starving for she doubted that she could find any more food than what she had today.

"Whatever you say, Lusia. But you're sick, and my foot is broken. The chances aren't looking great for us."

"We'll get through this, Vel," she said, and then ruffled his hair despite the shortage of space. "You're all that I have left and I'm not going to give up this easily."

Vel smiled. "I didn't expect you to."

She pushed her way out of the shelter, and stood up, feeling the ache in her bones after spending long hours curled up. "Come on, we're going," she said, rubbing the numbness out of her legs. "Can you walk?"

"Yes, I can," he responded, and allowed himself to be helped up. He tested his right foot and judged that the pain was bearable enough.

Lusia nodded. They were both weak, hungry, and tired, but at least they had each other, and that was what would keep them going to survive.

"We just need to follow the river to find this village."

And off, they went.

 **4**

The blackened remains of the village had been dampened by the rain from the previous day, and the charred bodies of its slain inhabitants laid all around the streets. Vultures sat on the fallen beams of destroyed houses, attempting to salvage what could be found in the area, and their carnivorous eyes watched as two newcomers approached the village warily.

Lusia's heart sank as she took in her surroundings, her knees threatening to collapse under her weight and that of her brother's, who once again had to be supported. Her eyes scanned for any survivors in the village, but the place was full of the dead, smelling of the wetness of rain and the remnants of ash. It reminded her of the fate of her home.

"The bandits got here as well," she said slowly. Her fist clenched, and she felt her anger rising, only to be stifled by a pang of pain behind her forehead. "Everyone's dead."

"What do we do?" Vel asked, his expression tight. At this point, every step he took was one of agony and as a result he had gone mostly quiet for the past hour.

"What do we do?" Lusia repeated the question. She did not know what to do. Her hopes had been to find refuge here for her and her brother, but all that now—just like the village and its people—have gone up in the ashes. What do we do? She had no idea.

She looked around once again, hoping to find an answer. But the area was devoid of anything except for the dead and wild scavengers. They could not stay here. They had to go somewhere else. But where? If this village was attacked by the bandits, then it wasn't difficult to assume that other villages were as well. That only left them with one option.

"We have to go to a city," she said.

"We'll never make it," Vel said. "Italica is the closest, and it's a three weeks' journey."

"We have to try."

"Lusia, it's too far to a city, we'll just die if we go!"

"What choice do we have?" Lusia snapped, her frustration finally surfacing. "Unless you rather die here. Just sit down, and wait till we starve. Then let the vultures have us? Right? That's what you want to do, Vel?"

Vel's gaze shied away. "Sorry, I didn't mean to…"

She grabbed her brother so that she was looking right into his eyes. "I'm not giving up yet. And you're not going to as well. So don't give me—"

A shot of pain between her eyes prevented her from completing her sentence, and she waved her hand to cut off any response her brother might have. The pain passed in a moment, and she was left feeling more tired and weaker than before, her anger fleeing from her.

"I'm sorry, Lusia," Vel said, his expression turning to one of guilt. "You should rest. You're still sick."

She shook her head, steadying herself with controlled breathing. "It's a three weeks' journey to Italica. I'll see what supplies I can find here, and then we'll get going."

"I can do that as well," Vel said.

"No, you stay here." Her tone dissuaded any further arguments, and she went about the village, searching, though doubting that she could find much. Only the bodies of villagers were in the plentiful, while everything else was likely to be too burnt to be of use. "I won't be long," she said, desperate to get this done and be on their way to Italica.

She had no notion of staying in this place of the dead for the night.

 **5**

Lusia's stomach ached, growled in protest of its emptiness, and she just hoped that the sound wouldn't alert the hare she was stalking. The air was thin and still, for there was no wind today, and she could hear her own breathing as she crept forward. Several meters ahead of her, a brown winter hare sat, nibbling on some blades of icy grass. It was rather small in size, with little to almost no fat, but she knew if she could just catch it, there would be enough food for the day for her and Vel.

She took a slow step forward, careful of where she was stepping. The area was a wide expanse of grassland, with no cover for miles; if the hare was alerted, it would have a full stretch of land to flee in, and Lusia had little hopes of catching a hare on open plains. She was still sick, and her illness had often left her in a state of weakness, that it was only because of sheer will she could get up and move each day.

Her boot slowly landed on the ground. No sound, and she took another step, readying the seax knife she had found back in the village.

A twig snapped. Alarmed, the hare ran.

"Shit!"

Lusia sprinted after it, her legs stomping on the cold, hard ground. She had never hunted before. Her father was the one who used to do all the hunting with Vel, and she remembered the times when they would return home together with a marmot or two slung over their shoulders, their faces full of the pride for supplying the family's dinner. Her mother would then ready the fire, while Lusia herself would help skinning and gutting the catch. Vel would always give her a detailed account of the hunt as she worked, describing the way they tracked the game to the type of snares they used. Times were simpler back then. It was frightening to think how everything had changed in just one week.

She had cursed the bandits who attacked her village every night. They who killed her parents, destroyed her home, and forced her and her brother on a journey that they little chance of surviving. Oh, how she hated them! But she knew, that no matter how much she swore and called curses on them, it would do nothing to change her current situation. Vel and she were alone. She prayed to the gods each night to change the past and wished with all her hopes that her parents were still alive. But whatever their reasons were, the gods did not seem to want to grant her wish, and she wondered, was there true justice in this world?

The hare was too far to reach now, its limps carrying it faster across the land than what Lusia could hope to catch. She panted heavily, her breath a mist in the near freezing air, and felt the throbbing pain of a headache recurring. She would have to go back to Vel with only the mushrooms she had found growing at the base of a tree. It was not enough to sustain even one of them.

She vomited suddenly, though only spit and saliva came out for her stomach was empty. She wiped her mouth with one hand, and rubbed her forehead with the other, mentally willing for the nausea to stop. That was the second time today that she had puked.

Tired and hungry, she went back to a small valley between hills where she had left Vel to rest. A copse of large, leafless trees covered the mouth of the valley entrance, and Lusia could see ice forming on the long branches, a sign that snow was not far from coming. They would need to find some winter clothing soon, she thought. If she could kill a wild animal, its hide could be used as a cloak, while its fat could be rubbed over their skin as cover against the wind. The problem with that notion, however, was finding an animal large enough, and also how to kill it.

She walked towards the end of copse, and she could see the smoke rising from the fire that Vel had started earlier. She readied herself to deliver the news that she had failed to catch much food today. It had been very much the same case these past few days, the land devoid of anything to eat, and she could only hope that it did not get any worse as they travelled towards the next stretch of land.

As she stepped into view of their camping spot, she opened her mouth to call out so that her brother knew that it was her who was approaching, but froze with the words dying on her lips.

A tall man, who wore entirely black from his cloak to his boots, crouched next to Vel, warming both his hands on the fire. He had a longbow wrapped in leather hanging by a strap on one shoulder, and he also carried a heavy pack on his back. He looked up when he heard Lusia approached, and she saw that his face was wind-beaten and scarred. Her heart skipped a beat.

"That's my sister," Vel said. The boy sat close to the fire, leaning on the heel of his palms, his legs outstretched.

The stranger stood up and tried to crack a smile, revealing missing teeth. "Hello there," he said.

"Who are you?" Lusia demanded. Her body felt weak from her fever, but she did her best to stand upright and look unafraid. Her hands inched closer to her belt where she kept her knife. If it came down to a fight, she doubted it would be much use, but it was better than nothing.

"I'm Eugene," he said. "I mean no harm. I just saw the fire here and came to investigate and found your brother."

She glanced at her brother, who did not seem to be in a desperate state. Still, she did not relax though. "What are you doing out here?" she asked.

"I could ask you two the same," he replied calmly. "But your brother has already explained to me what happened."

A confused look crossed Lusia's face as she tried to figure what the man meant. "Explain," she said.

"We're in the same situation here, lass. I lost my farm and land to bandits when they came. At first, I stayed and fought. I was an archer before I became a farmer, and I killed a dozen of those damned sods before there were too many and I had to run with my family. Though it wasn't long after that that I lost my wife and son too."

Eugene's eyes were staring straight at her, and his gaze made her uncomfortable. He was another refugee, Lusia realized, just like them.

"I see," was all she could say. "I'm sorry."

"Don't need to apologize, lass," he said. "Like I said, we're both in the same situation here. Us three have lost everything, and yet it's funny how we keep on going despite so. I've been out here for too long now, doing my best to survive, and I guess it's the same for you two. Doesn't it make you wonder what's the point of it?"

Lusia shook her head. "Me and my brother are still alive, and that's enough reason for me to keep on going. If the only other option is to sit and die, then you can know that I'm not doing that."

Eugene gave a rueful chuckle. "I see. I like that answer very much. Still though, it's very likely that we may wind up dead in a week or so."

The way the man talked began to tick Lusia off, and she could not stand to see someone speaking of death this easily. This here was a man who had gone through the same loss that they had—their homes and their families—and speaking to him had just reminded her more of the pain she had endured. It made her remember the argument she had with Vel, when he was confident that they would not survive, and how she had spat on that opinion and shut her brother up. She would not let some defeatist attitude bring her down, especially after all she had done for her and her brother to survive.

"That may very well be the case, but I thank you very much for keeping that opinion to yourself," she said. "As for me and my brother, we're pushing on. If we make it, we make it. If we don't, we don't."

She walked over to Vel, who had been silent throughout the exchange, all the while not letting her gaze drop away from Eugene. The warmth from the fire thawed the chill in her body, and she realized that she had forgotten how cold she had been.

"What's your plan then?" Eugene asked.

The sudden question surprised her and for a second she didn't reply. "We're going to Italica. We'll be safer in a city than anywhere else," she said eventually.

Eugene nodded. "We can help each other out," he said. "It's a long way to Italica, and you could use a hand. I know that your brother is injured and it's difficult for you to support both of you at the same time. I have my bow, I can hunt, and kill, and scout." He paused. "You have strength in you, lass. We can help each other out."

The offer caused Lusia to pause. Several moments ago, the man had been talking about how they were likely to die soon, and now he was suggesting to work together. It was confusing. But what he said made sense, she could hardly gather enough food for Vel and herself. Eugene's longbow would be a great asset, the length of the shaft was as tall as a grown adult, and he seemed to be a man who knew how to use it well as she noted the large chest and arms the man had. She glanced at Vel, wondering how much did he tell Eugene about their situation before she arrived.

"Lusia, you know it's better if he came with us," Vel said.

Her brother was right, she knew that they would have a better chance of survival if Eugene was there with them. But it was still difficult to trust a stranger. However, there was no way she could refuse his offer either. At this moment, they were at his mercy, where he could still kill them and take what little food they have. So she agreed and nodded.

"We can help each other," she said.

Eugene smiled, and stuck out his hand. "You're a tough girl, lass. Your brother says it's only because of you that you two managed to survive this far."

Lusia silently rebuked Vel for telling that much to a stranger, but there was no harm done so she let it go quickly.

"We should get moving soon," she said, ignoring the man outstretched hand, feeling her headache returning.

"Aye," Eugene agreed. "Snow is coming."

 **6**

"I fought in two wars," Eugene said, "Eight battles, and a countless number of skirmishes. I used to stand in the ranks of other archers, and we would loose our arrows at the enemy, volley after volley, until they broke. Nothing more frightening than to see thousands of shafts flying through the air, enough to cover the sky with thin wood and feathers. The enemy always feared us, Elbe's archers, because our longbows reached further than all other bows, and could punch through any armour—except dragon scales—like it was thin linen. Even Imperial Legionaries feared us, can you believe that?"

The former archer, Lusia thought, liked to talk a lot, as she realized after several days of travelling with him. She guessed it was because he had been alone for a long time before meeting her and Vel, and now he was enjoying every ounce of human interaction he could get. Vel seemed to be listening to the man as he went through his stories of his experiences, but the boy's limp had gotten worse and each step he took caused his face to clinch in pain.

"I almost died once," Eugene was saying. "It happened on an open field just like this one. A horseman was charging towards me. I was out of arrows, one of my legs had taken a blade cut, and I could not run. But the horseman did not see my friend, who managed to jump onto the horse and pull the sod down and stick a knife in his eye-slit. By the gods, I thought I was dead then, and would definitely have been if not for my friend. I managed to pay the debt back later when I saved him in another fight, but thank the gods for him that day."

"You know, after I ran from the bandits," the former archer said, changing topic, "I still remember looking back and seeing my land—my home—being burned to the ground. The land which I had earned through my services in war, worked on through good and rainy days, and raised my family in. Everything built with my own two hands destroyed. I should have stayed and fought to the end, but I still had my wife and son to take care of. I knew they wouldn't survive without me out in the open plains."

Eugene's eyes turned especially cold then, and his gaze wandered over the vast, bare landscape for a brief moment.

"But even then, it turned out that the both of them died anyway. My wife always had a weak body, and she could not survive the journey. And my son…he inherited the same from her. It was only a week after running that they both slept and never woke."

He let out a sigh at the memory, watching his breath cloud his vision.

"Vel!" Lusia suddenly shouted.

Her brother had collapsed, and his face was one full of agony, his hands clutching at his right foot. He cried out in pain.

"Vel!" She went down next to him, holding him up. "Are you okay?"

"My foot," he managed to say through gritted teeth. "My foot."

Lusia tore off his boot, and saw some bones were sticking out in unnatural positions, showing that it had mended incorrectly. She pressed a thumb on the ankle, eliciting more cries of pain from her brother. She knew that he could not put any weight on it let alone walk.

Eugene came over, and squatted down. "That's not good," he said. "His bones are broken again. Since it didn't heal properly the first time, all this walking has made it worse."

"We'll stop here for now," Lusia said, already looking around for materials needed to start a fire, all the while keeping a concerned eye on her brother.

"I'll find us something to eat," Eugene said, dropping his pack to the ground and began stringing his bow.

She nodded. "You do that."

After the former archer left, Lusia promptly started a fire before focusing her full attention on Vel. The boy had quietened a bit, and she could see that he was doing his best to prevent the pain from showing. "I know it hurts a lot, Vel, but you're going to be fine." But even as she said that she was already beginning to wonder how will they continue from here on out.

"It hurts," Vel said, controlling his breathing. His face had gone red and beads of sweat were forming on his forehead. He tried to move his foot and screamed out as more pain shot up his leg.

"Stay still, Vel. Just lie down." She gently helped her brother lie on his back, keeping his injured foot raised.

"Sorry," he said. "I'm just slowing all of us down."

She smiled. "There's nothing to be sorry about, Vel."

"Fuck my foot!" Despair was getting into his voice, and she saw tears rolling down from his eyes.

She wiped the tears off his face. "Just bear with it for a while. It'll get better soon."

Vel's fingers clutched around the edges of her cloak and she could feel him shaking with pain and fear. "I can't walk anymore," he whispered. "I can't."

"It's okay, Vel, it's okay," she said, running her hand through his hair in soft, smooth strokes just like how she had always done when she wanted to comfort him. "Just rest for now."

"I can't walk anymore, Lusia," he repeated. "I can't make it to Italica."

She shook her head in disapproval. "What did I say before? Don't say that."

"I can't, Lusia. I can't." He gripped her shoulder tightly, and she felt how weak his arms were.

"It's going to alright, Vel," she said, slowly taking his hands into hers. "Once Eugene gets back, we'll figure this out. You better take this chance to rest now, or else once that man returns, he'll keep on yapping with his stories. He doesn't shut up, does he?" She giggled at her small jest, attempting to lighten the mood, though it clearly wasn't enough. Vel stayed quiet. His face twisted every now and then at the pain.

"What are we going to do?" he asked.

"Don't worry about that now, Vel. Just rest," she said.

"What are we going to do, Lusia?" he asked again.

That question had been asked too many times during these past two weeks. After their village was attacked, what are we going to do? After finding everyone dead in the next village as well, what are we going to do? After running out of food, what are we going to do? And now, once again. The question kept coming, and coming, and she wondered when will it all stop? She was tired. "I don't know, Vel," she responded. "I don't know."

She looked up at the sky, watching the overcast clouds drift as if they might hold some codex answer.

"I'll think of something," she said quietly. "Something will come to me. It has to."

Two hours later, Vel managed to fall asleep despite the pain and Lusia watched his chest slowly rise and fall, still thinking on what to do. Eugene returned with a small fox in his hands, its white furs stained with blood from where it had been hit by an arrow. The former archer had snapped the animal's neck and now its little head dangled loose, disconnected from its body.

"How's Vel doing?" he asked as he pulled out a knife to start gutting the fox. He stabbed the blade through the middle of its chest and carved in a straight line down the center of the torso.

"He can't walk anymore," Lusia replied, watching him removed the insides, bits of innards and blood spilling onto the ground.

Eugene grunted, his knife working on skinning the fox. "That's no surprise. He shouldn't have been walking in the first place, but tough times are tough times. So what do we do?"

"We'll have to carry him. I can carry your pack, and you can carry Vel on your back."

"Lass, it's a two week's journey to Italica. I don't think I have the strength to carry him all the way there."

"I know it's still long way to Italica, but what choice do we have?"

"There is one other choice," Eugene said quietly.

"No," Lusia said, knowing well what the man was suggesting. "I'll carry him then. He has lost a lot of weight, I can carry him." She remembered the time when she had carried him out of the rain.

The former archer shook his head, and he glanced at Vel for a second to make sure that he was asleep before speaking, "We've got to leave him behind."

Lusia stood up abruptly, her expression instantly turning dark. She glared at Eugene with cold eyes. "No, we are _not_ doing that." Her voice was serious and she spoke each word clearly so that the man would understand.

"Lusia, look, I've kept this in for a while, but Vel was never going to make it to Italica. Not with his injuries," Eugene said, ignoring the fox now. "It's only a miracle—no, it's only because of you—that he managed to survive until now. But there's not anything you can do now."

"There is something I can do. I can still carry him!" she snapped.

"Not in your condition. You are not in much better condition than him. I know that you're sick. I've heard you vomiting at night." Lusia froze at his words. "Gods, I don't know how you managed to keep moving every day, but you definitely won't go for long if you continue to support your brother. You're a sixteen-year-old girl; you have limits."

She didn't reply for a time, turning her gaze to Vel's sleeping body. He didn't seem to be disturbed by the ongoing argument.

"Yes, I have my limits, Eugene. But that's my business. If I collapse, I collapse. One thing is for sure though, I'm not leaving my brother behind," she said. The words were not a boast, but were spoken with quiet certainty, which caused Eugene to stand as well now.

"You will just die then. Be realistic, lass! If you take him with you, you'll never have the strength to make it to the city. And once you're dead, he's going to die as well. If you leave him, at least you can—"

"Don't you say that!" she shouted, shaking with anger. Her head was bursting with pain, but she did not back down. "He's my brother, and I'm not going anywhere without him. I'm telling you now that he's going to come with us all the way to Italica. I don't care whether you think we'll just die. Would _you_ have abandoned your wife or son if they were in Vel's place instead?"

" _Yes_ , I would," Eugene said coldly. "Because that's what I did."

Lusia stared at him, bewildered, trying to comprehend what he meant. "What?"

"They were too weak to go any further. My wife was coughing blood and my son had contracted pneumonia. So, I left them. They're dead now, for sure."

"You said that they slept and never woke," Lusia said, her confusion turning to absolute disgust.

"That was how they probably died. I don't know, I wasn't there to confirm." There was no remorse in the way the man said it, and she felt the urge to vomit again.

"You're telling me that you just left them?" she said slowly, almost as if to make sure she wasn't hearing things.

Eugene nodded. "I am. Tough times are tough times, lass. If you want to live, you have to leave your brother."

"No. You should go, Eugene. You've made yourself clear. We are not going to be travelling with you."

"You're turning me out?" Eugene asked incredulously. His fist tightened around the knife he was gripping. "You won't survive without me!"

"I said you should go, Eugene," she said.

"Even if you somehow survive here, the bandits are going to catch up to you two. With you carrying your brother, there's no way you can escape fast enough."

"Go!"

Eugene glared at Lusia for a long moment before stooping down to pick up the fox he had caught.

"Don't be an idiot, Lusia. Save yourself," he said as he turned to leave.

He walked away to the distance, Lusia watching his back until he disappeared past the horizon. The wind howled around her, and she was alone with her brother once more.

 **7**

Lusia hugged her knees closer to her chest for warmth, her eyes watching the fire dancing and spitting. She could barely feel her hands, and she rubbed them together to get some blood flowing. The air was like a cold sheet of ice on her face, and her nose felt stuffed and blocked, forcing her to breathe through her mouth. Her cloak, wrapped around her like a blanket, was little protection against the cold.

Though it had only been an hour since Eugene left, the skies were already turning dark, and the horizon casted an orange hue across the land. Such was the season that sunset came well early in the day.

A dull pain throbbed behind Lusia's eyes, but she was used to it already, having endured it for many days. She was surprised that she hadn't collapsed from her fever by now, the toll on her body would no doubt show soon. The tired she felt was enough to put an adult to sleep for a whole day, but yet she still hung on to consciousness, trying to find out what to do next. Her mind ran through options after options, but there was no solution to be found for their situation. They were out in the open, with no food and her brother unable to walk. No matter how she looked at it, it was the end game.

She wondered for the hundredth time whether letting Eugene walk was the right decision. The man hunting was greatly needed, and she wanted nothing more than to have a piece of hare roasting over the fire now. But however useful the man was she knew she was right to force him away. He was going to abandoned Vel, and that was the one thing she was not going to do. Even if it is to save her own skin.

She looked over at Vel, staring for a long while before letting out a sigh. "Hey Vel, you can stop pretending to sleep now. I know that you're awake," she said.

"Oh, you noticed," he responded, slowly pushing himself up till he was sitting. He grinned at her.

She studied his face, aware of how much weight he had lost since escaping their home. He was a strong boy, but she knew that he wouldn't last for much longer if they stayed out here. But there was really little she could do now. Eugene was right, she admitted, it was not possible for her to carry her brother all the way to Italica. She buried her face between her knees, feeling the frustration of not knowing what to do.

"Lusia?

She lifted her head up and saw Vel's eyes staring at her. She smiled at him. "You okay there?"

He nodded. "Feeling better."

"You've been awake for a while, haven't you?" she asked.

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"There was no way you could have just slept through the argument I had with Eugene." The expression on his face told her that she had guessed correctly. "Well, he's gone now."

"Sorry, Lusia. It's because of me that he's gone," Vel said.

"You've heard everything then?"

Vel nodded. "Sorry, it's all because of me."

She shook her head. "That man abandoned his wife and son. There was no way I was going to be traveling with him any longer," she said.

"But it's better if you'd followed him. You two could have made it to Italica."

"No." She said the word in a tone that ended the discussion before it began.

Silence settled between them for a while, both staring wordlessly into the fire as if it held them in a mystic trance. Sparks flew here and there, landing and fizzing on cool, dry ground. The shadows of the approaching evening flickered across their faces. Eventually, Lusia broke the silence.

"So why were you pretending to be asleep?" she asked.

Vel's gaze shied away from hers, and she knew something was up. "I thought that if I pretended to sleep, you and Eugene would just leave me and go on. It would have been better that way. I can't walk anymore, Lusia. I'm only a liability."

If he had said this earlier in the day, she would have gotten angry at him for it. But now, it seemed that she had no more anger left in her, only despair and hopelessness. "I feel like I'm always saying the same thing over and over again. I could never leave you behind, Vel, and you're stupid for thinking that I would."

"Am I stupid to hope for you to live rather die here with me?"

"We're not going to die here," she said stubbornly and unconvincingly.

"We are, Lusia. I can't go any further," Vel said. "Please, just leave me."

"No, I won't." It was then she began shaking uncontrollably, and all the emotions, the frustrations, pent up for weeks, came out of her. What began as tears falling out of her eyes and rolling down her cheeks like frost soon turned into an open weep. She tried to say something but the words choke in her throat and only a mangled cry came out. Her fist clenched and unclenched, her fingernails—most of them broken—bit into her palm, digging into flesh. There was no justice in this world, she thought. No matter how hard she struggled to keep her and her brother alive, the worse always turns up. She was tired, fed up, and tired.

Perhaps, it was time she gave up?

"Lusia?" She felt her brother's hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at his face, the tears blurring her vision but not preventing her from seeing that her brother was crying as well.

With no other option left, she decided what she had to do. She would stay with her brother. Stay with him until he passed on. She would not let go. Not ever.

 **8**

The highway was full of dust and dirt. But it was better ground to walk on for Lusia than what she had been traversing for the past weeks. In these times, it was dangerous to travel here for the bandits were infesting the area, preying on foolish merchants attempting to cross here. But she had a hunch, that if she comes here she would find the help she needed.

All day she had prayed to the gods that her hunch was correct. Let someone come, someone with a good heart.

Her feet were sore, and the soles of her boots had completely fallen off. Her stomach was empty, having eaten nothing in the past two days. Each step she took was agony.

But still, she had to keep moving. If she stopped she would not move again.

A step forward. Another.

And then she fell.

She had no strength to pick herself up again. She guessed this was it. This was the end. She did her best, but she could not fulfill Vel's last wish. She had no regrets though. Just as Vel had been, she had accepted her fate long already.

She laid on the pavement road, breathing in the dust and coughing it out.

Her thoughts wandered back to when Vel had died, how he had looked at her with that strange, calm expression of his. An expression of being entirely at peace, having already accepted his fate and thus not worrying about anything any longer.

"You should leave. You can still live," he had croaked out. He had not eaten or drunk anything for two days at that point.

She remembered shaking her head and saying something, though she did not remember what she had said.

"You've done everything for me already. But there's nothing more. Just live for me, Lusia, will you?"

She had smiled.

"Just go. Just go."

Then he had faded back into unconsciousness, but this time his breathing slowed even more, and more, before finally stopping, and she let out a gasp, but it was hardly surprising to her. She leaned down to kiss her brother on the forehead before standing up. She had laid her brother's body on the ground and gave it a good look. Her brother's face was one of entirely at peace, and she engraved that image to her memory. Amidst all the war and chaos, her brother had died at peace with his fate.

And now she was about to do same as well. The light was fading from her vision, and she allowed her exhaustion to consume her. She had only one regret, that she was not able to bury Vel's body for she hadn't had the strength to dig a grave. He had been with her from the day he was born till the day he had died. She convinced herself that she had been a good sister and had done her best to take care of him. Though it was not enough. And now, it was her turn to leave this cruel world. Her eyes closed.

Then she heard a rumble, and the ground began shaking slightly. She looked up and saw what seemed to be a metal box coming towards her. She had no strength to move out of its way. Whatever the hell that thing was, it would just have to run over her to get by.

But the box didn't run her over, instead it stopped before her. A man and a woman wearing green stepped out and came before her. They were speaking in a language so foreign to her. What were they saying? She didn't understand.

The woman, who had brown hair, knelt down before her. Lusia groaned, and the woman stepped back in surprise, most likely she had thought that she was dead and was startled by the sudden movement.

The woman said something, and the man squatted down as well.

"What happened to you?" the man spoke her language.

She opened her mouth to answer, but the words could not come out.

A canteen of water was handed to her, and she drank greedily, feeling the liquid cool every inch of her dry mouth.

"What happened?" the man asked again.

"Bandits. They killed my family, and destroyed my home." She didn't have the strength to explain her full story.

"And just you survived?"

She shook her head. "My brother was with me as well, but he died."

The man looked shocked, and he consulted with his fellows in green. They discussed for a long moment.

Eventually, the woman with short brown hair spoke to her, though her speech was clearly broken. "I…lost a brother as well."

The man who spoken to her first said to her, "We're taking you back to our camp. Don't worry, you're safe."

She was too hungry and tired to comprehend what was happening so she didn't say anything. They helped her up into the metal box, and before long the box was moving, heading back in the direction it came from.

 **9**

Lieutenant General Hazama gazed out over the overlay of the Special Region Task Force forward operating base. Everywhere, men and women were going to work. For the past month, the task force had been gathering more information on the land they were in, and soon he reckoned that he would have to push for an offensive. The Empire had rebuffed every attempt at negotiation, and he would soon have to force their hand.

He watched as the units enter and exit the base. He spotted some of the natives wandering around in the base, clueless at the spectacle around them. At first he had allowed these refugees into the base because it provided a good opportunity to learn more about the people of the Special Region, but now every day his recon teams are reporting more and more refugees encountered. It was not a coincidence that the number of bandit activity had skyrocketed in the area as well. He reasoned that these bandits had originated from survivors of the army that had come to reclaim Alnus Hill; with their leaders all but killed, they had no leadership and order, and thus many deserted.

He folded his arms, thinking of what should be done with the refugees. He could hardly turn them away. If it was heard back in Japan that he had refused to protect helpless civilians, he would be under heavy scrutiny by the Diet. Perhaps he might even be recalled.

Thus, he was left with only one option.

"Yanagida."

"Sir." His aide snapped to attention.

"How many refugees do we have in the base now?"

"About a hundred, sir. Though it's increasing more each day. If this continues, it could significantly compromise the base's security. Should I pass the order for the men to stop bringing in more?"

Hazama shook his head. "No, pass this order instead." He paused, taking the time to confirm what he was going to do. "A refugee camp will be built just outside the base. All refugees will stay there and if more are found they will be brought there. They will be taken care off there. One company will be assigned to garrison and maintained it."

Yanagida blinked in surprise. "A refugee camp, sir?"

"Yes. We can't turn these people away. They may not be our people, but they are people nevertheless."

"I understand, sir."

Hazama let out a sigh. "My only worry is that once word of this gets out, only more will come to us for help. Perhaps thousands. And I fear it's more than what the task force can handle."

* * *

 **Fairly long read, right? Hopefully that makes up for the long update time.**

 **When I asked my co-writer what's the theme he had planned for this interlude, he told me "Reality". And I have to say that he executed that theme damn well. You don't get this happy ending for the protagonist, you don't get a too dark ending either. Another thing is my friend did try his best to capture the mindset of a refugee, how they had to leave everything behind or else they would just lose it all anyway. It's a tough thing to execute in this perspective, but I thought he did a good job at it.**

 **Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. Work on the second arc has begun, but since I have exams coming up in early Jan, I might consider waiting a bit till I update again. But until then, have a good new year's and go drink till you piss alcohol.**


	7. Chapter 5: Contact

**Exams are done for me so I'm back again with another update. This chapter turned out longer than I expected it to be. Had a load of inspiration when writing this that I kept adding stuff. Anyway, welcome to Arc 2 of the Third Recon Team: Escalation. One thing I realize after reading the first arc was how slow it was. So one of my aims for this arc is to speed the events up. I've got a lot of ideas I want to cover regarding the characters. This arc is where I diverge a lot from the original anime, some may be minor changes and some major, all done in consideration of producing a good story. Won't keep you any longer, do enjoy!**

 **One edit I made to chapter 4: Instead of a 4 months' time gap period between the Special Region Task Force arriving in Falmart and the Battle of Alnus, it is now only a 2 months' gap.**

 **And oh ya, shout out to** The Tundra Fox **for making this story's cover. Looks wicked!**

* * *

 **Escalation: Contact**

"That's the village there, right?" Kurata indicated ahead.

Itami nodded. "Exactly where air recon had mapped it."

The three armoured trucks of the Third Recon Team trundled down the ancient highway, rocking roughly over the jarring paved stones which were meant more for horses and foot travel than modern vehicles. The stretch of land they'd reached was wide and expansive on both side of the highway, an endless roll of frosty grass that went as far as the eye could see. Small flocks of sheep—with wool thick enough to protect them from the cold—roamed and grazed here and there. Bleary-eyed boys, sitting on crops of large boulders, watched after them, and Itami saw them jump in fear as they saw the Third Recon on the road.

"Not too fast now, Kurata," he said to Kurata as the driver took the leading LAV off the highway road and onto the dirt track which led to a meager-sized settlement on the bank of a long river flowing with rapid current. "We don't want to startle them."

The village was walled by a short wooden palisade on three sides, while the northern flank was guarded by the river. Itami saw some villagers outside of the wall now hurrying inside through a narrow gate at the sight of his team's approach, taking their baskets of food and carts of goods within. That was no surprise; he could hardly expect a warm welcome.

"Coda Village," Daisuke said, reading out the large boarded sign above the village's gate and scribbling the name onto a small notebook he carried.

The gate was pulled shut just as the Third Recon reached the immediate outskirts.

"Alright, Daisuke and Kuwahara, come with me. The rest of you stay here and wait for further instructions," Itami said.

The team acknowledged his orders and he exited the vehicle, waiting for Daisuke and Kuwahara to dismount as well before heading towards the village's gate. He adjusted the straps of his helmet, feeling a sense of nervousness creep up on him. It was just a simple mission, he told himself, make first contact with the locals and find out whatever he could about the land. There was nothing difficult about it. Yet, on the other hand, he knew he had never been good at first impressions and he could only hope not to mess this up. The thought that this was his very first field assignment as an officer only added to the pressure.

Kuwahara seemed to notice his jitters for he gave him a quick encouraging slap in the back. "They're just villagers, sir. Stay calm."

He nodded, and relaxed the grip on his rifle, which he didn't realized he had been clenching. He looked along the palisade scarcely tall enough to prevent a man from scaling over, and he imagined men with bows suddenly appearing on the top and shooting at them before they could explain their intentions.

"Daisuke, tell them we are here to talk. We do not mean harm."

The leading private assented, slung his rifle, and began the translation, raising his voice over the wall, lifting both his hands in the air to demonstrate his intent.

There was no answer, and Itami gestured for Daisuke to repeat.

"I expect this will take a couple of tries," Kuwahara said. "Hard to trust strangers, especially ones that look as strange as us to them."

Itami agreed, but as each call from Daisuke was met with no response, he felt his nerves tugging again, thinking that perhaps the team may have to head to the next village and if they didn't respond as well, then the one after. The day may go by with the Third Recon accomplishing nothing to report.

A raspy voice broke him out of his thoughts, and Itami heard it coming from directly behind the wall.

"We are a small village, we do not have much that you can take," the voice said.

"We are not here to rob you," Itami said, Daisuke translating. "We are members of the Japanese Self-Defense Force, and we would like to speak to the head of this village." Itami doubted the villagers knew who the JSDF was, but he wanted to make it clear who they were talking to.

"Is that all you truly wish? To talk?"

"Yes. We've come in peace," Itami said. "We will not harm anyone in the village. I promise you that."

There was a pause. Then the sound of a lock bar being lifted came first before the gate opened slightly, and one elderly man stepped out alone. He was short, and had grey hair under a brown brimmed hat, matched by an equally grey moustache that stretched across his upper lips. He bowed before Itami and spoke, "My name is Eldar El Terna. I am the chief of Coda Village." It was the same voice who had spoken to them earlier.

"I am Itami Yoji," Itami responded in the local language, glad that he didn't stutter his name, and introduced his two subordinates. "We have no intentions of bringing harm to your village, sir. Only to exchange some information."

Eldar looked carefully at the second lieutenant, then at Kuwahara and Daisuke, then at the three armoured vehicles behind them before finally returning his attention to Itami. "I see," he said, seeming to trust their intention. "You are men of the other world, are you not?"

"We are."

"Well then, will you come to my home, Sir Itami? We can talk there." He hesitated, then added, "Your men may enter the village as well."

Itami nodded. "Thank you, Eldar-san." He signaled for the rest of the team to dismount and watched them assemble, hoping that the villagers were not too intimidated by them. Then he gave the orders; the drivers would stay with the vehicles while the rest would enter and interact with the locals.

Inside the village, Itami found the settlement to be smaller than what he had expected. Houses and huts were sparsely spread, wide spaces between them, and there were many small sheds about, presumably storages of firewood to survive the coldness of winter. As he moved further in, he saw groups of villagers huddled together, holding onto axes while some carried bows, watching the Third Recon as they entered through the gate. These villagers had been expecting a fight and were prepared. Come to think of it, Itami thought, this village had been of the few spared by the hordes of bandits living off the land now. Perhaps, the bandits had decided that it wasn't worth it to assault Coda village's walls when there were easier targets to prey upon elsewhere.

Itami felt eyes following them as they walked through the streets. At every corner and turn, he found men and women staring at him, their gaze causing beads of sweat to form on his forehead. Wherever he made eye-contact with someone, they instantly shied away and then hid from view. Briefly, he wondered if this was what being a pariah felt like. He felt like explaining to the villagers that despite being from another world, he was human just like them and they need not look at him as if he were of another species—like the orcs or goblins in this world. But he knew that any explanation would be fruitless. It would take some time to gain their trust, he reckoned.

A large two storey-house loomed ahead of him, the largest house from all the others he had seen so far and one of the few built from bricks instead of wood or mud. It was topped with a tiled roof, and a squared chimney puffing out black smoke. Itami didn't need to take a wild guess to know that this was the chief's house.

An old woman sat on a wooden stool beside the door, warily watching the newcomers. She stood up when the chief strode forward and exchanged some quiet words with her. Though Itami couldn't hear what they were saying—or even understand, for the matter—he could see the angry and frightful expression on the woman's face.

Eventually, Eldar turned to him. "This is my wife," he said, gesturing to the woman, as though as it wasn't obvious enough. She curtsied on the introduction, though it was easy to tell that she wanted none of the Third Recon to be entering her house.

However, the chief overruled her and Itami politely smiled as he followed Eldar inside the house. The reception room was rather spacious, a room which Itami assumed the chief would often use to receive his guests in. Eldar invited them to take their seats close to the glowing hearth and take comfort in its warmth, a welcomed gesture especially considering the cold weather outside. Itami sat on the available leather chair, while Daisuke and Kuwahara pulled up stools. Eldar's wife came in moments later, bringing in a tray of salted tea and offering it to her husband and the three JSDF soldiers, to which they accepted with their thanks.

"So, Sir Itami, what is it that you came here for?" Eldar asked, getting straight to the point. Itami could tell that he wanted to get this over as soon as possible. He couldn't blame him.

As he opened his mouth to speak, the chief suddenly stopped him. "Wait, I apologize, but before you say anything, I would like to say this: Coda Village has always been small in size and its people have always lived a peaceful lifestyle. In the current war, we have not aided the Empire or any of its allies. None of our young men had been called to arms to fight in the Emperor's armies."

Itami smiled, suddenly aware that the man was even more nervous than he was; the chief was afraid of what the JSDF would do to his beloved village, especially since they were the enemy. "That's good to know. But you have nothing to worry about, Eldar. Our mission here is to make it clear to the locals that we are not here to harm them," he said, hoping Daisuke knew the words to communicate the message properly.

The nervous expression on the chief's face did not change as he listened to Daisuke speak, and he gave his response almost immediately.

Itami waited patiently for the leading private to translate.

"But are we not enemies, Sir Itami?"

"No, we are not. I am to reassure you that the JSDF and its allies are here because the Empire first attacked us. Our war is with the armies of the Empire, not with its people."

"What do you mean exactly, sir?"

"My meaning is that anyone who does not bear arms against any member of the JSDF and USFJ will not be considered an enemy of ours. On the contrary, civilians such as yourselves are considered one of our top priorities and your safety is in our concerns."

"That's a most welcoming news, Sir Itami. So I assume that Coda Village would have to pay tribute to your kingdom?"

The suggestion hit Itami like a fastball pitch, and he took a moment to gather himself, shaking his head. "No, no, I'm not going to ask for a tribute. I ask for nothing, except your peaceful cooperation with us."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing. Just know that we won't harm you or any unarmed villagers, only those that raise weapons against us, you have my word for that. I hope that is clear?"

Eldar nodded, a slow sense of relief forming on his face as he began to understand what Itami's words meant. "It is clear. I thank you for informing me thus." The chief stood up and bowed. "I extend the gratitude of my village on their behalf."

Itami smiled nervously, rubbing the back of his head, unsure of how to respond. "There's no need to thank me really. I'm only doing my job."

"I thank you nevertheless, Sir Itami. Is there anything else you require?"

"Yes, I said before that we are also here for exchange of information. We would like to know the land more. Do you have any maps that we can have a look?"

Eldar pondered for a second. "I see. That's not a problem. We have an old mage here in Coda. He has maps and scrolls regarding the study of the land. If you wish, I could introduce you to him, Sir Itami?"

A mage, huh, Itami thought. This would be also a good opportunity to learn more about the magic of this world. He glanced at Kuwahara for his opinion, and the sergeant major seemed curious as well. "That would be appropriate, Eldar, please do introduce us."

"Very well, follow me." The chief got up.

§§§§§§§§

Mari watched as a group of children played on a dirt field nearby, their laughs and glees reaching her through the air. Up and down the dirt ground, they chased after one another, screaming their excitement when they managed to catch their friends. Their clothes were dirtied with mud, and their faces smudged with grit and dust, but yet they still continued in their games with a joy only found at their ages. Their mothers, sitting on the edge of the field and knitting winter clothing, looked after them with disapproving eyes, but made no effort to stop the fun the children were clearly enjoying. The scene made Mari smile; it was a rare thing to see when all she had witnessed since arriving in this world was death and hurt.

The mothers caught her watching their kids, and they instantly stopped the play and took the children back inside their homes, much to the displeasure of the kids. Mari saw their frightened looks at her. Her skin turned cold, and she looked away to avoid their gaze.

"They're scared of us."

Shino looked at her questioningly, caught unaware by the sudden statement. "Sorry?"

"The villagers. They're scared of us."

"Oh. That's not a surprise." Shino slung her rifle and took out her canteen. "We're supposed to be the enemy—they've probably heard about what happened at Alnus by now. And with all the bandits running around lately, you can't blame them for being on the edge a little. It also doesn't help that you keep staring at their kids like you're about to kidnap them."

Mari laughed at the last bit. "Can't help it. After seeing nothing but refugees and broken families these past few days, it's just nice to see children smiling and having fun here, you know, just being children."

Shino nodded. "I get what you mean. Definitely a welcome change of sight from the kids we see back in the infirmary in base."

"I know right, it's hard to think that those kids used to be living peacefully before they lost their homes. It's a real shame that the people living in places like this village are being caught in this war. It's always the innocent that pays, isn't it?"

"That's the way of life, Mari. It's not fucking fair in the slightest," Shino said solemnly, her eyes suddenly distant. She said nothing else.

Mari recognized that expression on her friend's face and she grew worried. "Sorry, I reminded you about your brother, right?"

"It's fine, Mari. Just what you said about how it's the innocent that always pays got me thinking of how he died again."

"Sorry." She felt at loss for words. It was not healthy for Shino to continue to wallow in her grief, but from where she stood Mari could not find a way to make her move on."

As the silence settled in between the two JSDF soldier, they turned their attention to watching the village surroundings again. It was then a small girl ran past Mari. If it had been just any girl, Mari might not have given a second glance. But this girl had blue hair for some strange reason, and her clothes stood out from all the other children she had seen; while most of the kids had just wore short-sleeved tunics and went bare-legged, this girl had a blue tabard belted over a green robe. It also happened that the girl tripped, dropping the crate of fruits and herbs she had been carrying.

"Crap," Shino cussed involuntarily.

Mari stooped down to help the strange girl, picking up the fallen items. The girl looked up at her, and she smiled at the pair of clear blue eyes.

"Thank you," the girl said quietly as Mari handed over the last of the fallen good.

"You're welcome," Mari replied, her tongue fumbling over the foreign language. "What are these for, little girl?"

It was clear that the girl didn't understand what Mari had just said for she stared at her blankly. The medic repeated herself, gesturing at the crate of herbs.

"Oh. They're for the sick. My master says that eating these would ease their symptoms."

"Your master?"

The girl nodded. "I'm the apprentice to the sage Cato El Altesan. Our healer is out of town so my master is helping to take care of the sick and wounded for him."

"Your master is a good man then." An idea suddenly came to Mari. "Can I come with you? I can help; I'm a medic." Mari didn't know how to say the word 'medic' in the local language so she said it in Japanese.

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Medic?"

"Someone who helps the sick," Mari roughly explained.

"You mean apothecary?"

Mari nodded, though she wasn't sure what the girl said. It wasn't helping that the girl still carried a blank expression on her face. "I'm Mari. What's your name?"

"I'm Lelei La Lalena."

Mari tried to commit the long name that sounded more like a tongue-twister to memory. "This is my friend, Shino."

Shino gave a small smile at the mention of her name.

Lelei bowed to the both of them. "It's an honour to meet you two."

"If you don't mind, Lelei, I can help you with the sick."

"I would appreciate it," Lelei said. "Follow me please. I'll take you to the sick house."

"What did you say, Mari? I didn't understand anything just now," Shino asked.

"I'm helping them. Care to join?"

Shino shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

§§§§§§§§

The mage's quarters was anything but what Itami had expected. He imagined the sorcerer to be staying in a castle or at least a large manor, but the reality was a small cabin that was crammed with furniture and shelves of books within, barely enough space inside for a handful of people. Scrolls and parchments stacked upon one another at every corner of the room, organized in a way which confounded Itami. The place looked more like an impromptu library rather than a living space for a person.

As Itami moved further in the room, he saw the mage himself sitting behind a wide desk, scanning over a runic scroll. He wore a sky-blue robe, and had a head of rich grey hair kept long and unkempt. A magnificent beard grew on his chin, almost a foot long in length, and the sage's fingers stroke it with calm deliberation. Deep-lined wrinkles creased on his forehead as he looked up at the visitors. Carefully, he pushed aside his work to a corner of the desk before standing up.

"Eldar, you've brought guests," he said, looking questioningly at the village chief.

"Yes, this is Sir Itami and his two aides. They are men of the other world," Eldar introduced them. "They require your help on a simple matter."

The sage's eyes turned to Itami and he smiled. "Cato El Altesan, at your service." He bowed. "So, Sir Itami, what is it that you require of me?" His voice was rich, and he spoke each word with thoughtful slowness.

"We would like to have a look at your maps, and also to ask you some questions," Daisuke translated.

"My knowledge is at your disposable." Cato gave another bow.

The wizard went to one end of the small room and began browsing through his catalogue of scrolls. He was a short man, made even shorter by his hunch, and Itami wondered how would he reach the scrolls on the top shelves—there was no ladder in sight. Then his unspoken question was answered when Cato snapped his finger and a handful of scrolls from the uppermost shelf flew into his hands.

Itami nearly dropped his jaw in surprise. Everything he had been taught about the laws of physics had just been thrown out of the window before his very eyes. He glanced at Kuwahara and Daisuke and saw that they too were equally astonished.

Cato gave the scrolls in his hands a brief inspection before picking one with a yellow seal. "This, Sir Itami," he said as with another snap of the finger he made the other scrolls return to their place, "is what you're most likely looking for. The most complete cartography of Falmart." He broke the seal with a seal-breaker and then unrolled the map across the surface of his desk, placing paperweights on the edges.

Hiding his amazement, Itami took a good look at the map. The outline of a vast continent stretched from end to the other. Ranges of mountains and forests were sketched in, and certain regions of land were coloured in different shades, perhaps indicating the biomes. There were small square blocks with words written above them in tight handwriting, and Itami assumed that these represented the cities of the Empire.

"Where are we?"

"We—" the mage pointed somewhere in the middle of the continent "—are here."

Itami nodded, and he recognized the strange wording that indicated Alnus. His eyes scanned the rest of the map. "I'm guessing that these markings are the borders of the Empire." He pointed to the dark lines fencing the land.

"Yes, they are. As you can see, the Empire rules over most of the continent. If you want I have another map that shows the territories of the vassal kingdoms. And also another map specifically of this region we're in."

"You have a lot of maps," Itami absently noted.

"Yes, I do like to collect these things. The productions of these maps are quite rare, and they're difficult to obtain. Some are from my own travels, others are given to me from the Cartographer Guild in Sadera."

Itami nodded. "I would like to see all these maps."

"Very well."

As Cato went to search, Kuwahara leaned close to Itami's ear and whispered, "Sir, I think we should ask if we could take these maps back to base. Headquarters would be interested in seeing these as well."

Itami nodded, knowing the sergeant major was right. He wondered whether he could just take a picture of these maps, but he struggled to find a way to explain to the locals what he will be doing.

"Cato, I was wondering if we could borrow these maps?"

The mage looked over his shoulder at Itami. "I'm afraid I cannot lend you these, Sir Itami, I cannot risk them being damaged. But I can have my apprentice make copies for you within a day. You can collect it by tomorrow."

"That will be much appreciated. Thank you very much." Itami bowed.

"Are there anything else you require, Sir Itami?"

"Yes, I would very well like to ask you some questions about the magic of this world. Do you think you could explain it to us?"

Cato smiled at that. "Of course, Sir Itami, it would be my pleasure."

§§§§§§§§

Lelei took them to near the back of the village, where an old building stood on the bank of the river. The wooden beams were near the point of rotting and were in desperate need of replacing. Large brushes covered the entrance, and if Lelei hadn't been here to guide them, Mari was sure she could have never found the building's door.

Inside, the smell of sickness and infection was pungent, repulsive enough to make one sick as well. Mari could hear men and women groaning, coughing, and sneezing. Dozens of beds were arranged all along the length of the room, and on them lay pale villagers, some holding onto buckets of vomit. One man had sunken eyes, and his voice was hoarse as he tried to call for assistance. His calls were ignored as the nurses were busy with other patients. Slops of spit, sweat and blood pooled on the floor, causing nurses to slip every now and then.

Mari was appalled by the condition of the place. "This is no place for the sick."

She saw one nurse bleeding an old man, who seemed too weakened to even sit up. The practice of bloodletting was an ancient medical doctrine done to cure diseases, a practice which Mari knew was completely ineffective. She strode across the room and snatched the knife from the nurse before she could bleed the patient a second time. The nurse, a middle-aged grey-haired woman, stared at her, shocked.

"No. This does not work." Mari took out a roll of bandage to cover the man's open cut.

The nurse cried out something too quick for Mari to catch and hurried away. The whole room was staring at her now.

Shino came up next to her. "She just called you crazy."

Mari shrugged. "She was bleeding this man. He looks more like he needs blood rather lose them."

She ignored the stares others were giving her, and focused her attention on the old man, who seemed to not know what was going on.

"Mari, what are you doing?" Lelei asked.

"Lelei, do you know what symptoms this man had?"

If the sage's apprentice was taken back by the sudden question, she did not show it. "He complained of dizziness earlier today, and he can't feel his left side. Also, he fumbles a lot when he speaks."

Mari nodded, instantly knowing the cause. "He has a minor stroke." She reached for her first aid kit, searching for a capsule of aspirin.

"Stroke?"

The medic didn't pause to explain the Japanese word to the girl. She found the capsule and asked for water. Shino handed over an unopened bottle. Thanking her friend silently, Mari popped the capsule into the man's mouth before making him drink and swallow. She let out a sigh, knowing this was all she could do for now.

She turned to the mage's apprentice. "Lelei, please tell the nurses to not bleed the man any more. He just needs some rest and he'll recover fully in a few days."

Lelei nodded. "What did you give him, Mari?"

"A medicine which will help him thin his blood. He most likely has high-blood pressure," she said, then watched as the man slowly tried to fall asleep. "Shino, I think we might need to bring him back to base. Just to get things check out." She took another look round the room, seeing the conditions of each patient. "We might need to bring a few of them actually."

"You'll have to ask Itami, not me," Shino said.

Mari nodded. "I'll speak to him."

§§§§§§§§

"Now, Sir Itami, the first thing to know about magic is that knowledge and magic go hand in hand. There is magic in everything in this world. To use it, one must first understand. The more a mage knows the more powerful he or she becomes. Allow me to demonstrate." Cato picked up a burning candle on his desk. "This candle burns because there's a reaction between the air and the wick in the presence of heat. Now say I were to direct more air towards the candle." The flames instantly expanded to an enormous size, nearly burning the mage's beard. Itami involuntarily leaned back on his seat.

"And if I cut off the air—" the candle went out. Cato smiled. "Well, you see what happens."

Itami watched the smoke lingering in the space where the fire had been. From what he had just seen, he understood that the sage had manipulated physics to force a chemical reaction. He was surprised that Cato knew about how oxygen was needed for combustion to occur; he thought that the people of this world had yet to discover the presence of atoms yet.

"What else can you do with magic?" he asked.

"Many things. The potential is limitless as long as you have the knowledge. Here's another example, rainfall happens when the water in the air rises high enough in the sky that it liquefies and falls back down to the ground. A powerful enough mage could accelerate the rate at which this happens, and thus cause it to rain in perhaps an instant.

"Of course, the limitation is that if there a drought in the land, it's not possible for a mage to conjure this. Similarly, if a mage uses all the water in the air, he could cause a drought on the land." Cato sat back down on his stool. "You must understand, Sir Itami, we are not miracle workers as most people seem to believe we are. There are consequences for every action."

Itami nodded, understanding. It seems that there's a sort of science behind magic after all. This would be interesting information for his superiors. "What can you tell me about the mages which the Empire uses in their armies?"

"Those are battle-wizards. Just as I am a scholar who studies the land, they are mages who specialize in the use of magic as a weapon. They manipulate magic through reciting incantations and releases it in an offensive form. I've also heard though that the more powerful wizards do not need to recite any incantation at all, which makes them more deadly in a fight because they can cast spells in rapid succession. It would be best to stay away from those."

"I see," Itami said.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you anymore about the battle-wizards, Sir Itami. They're quite secretive about their trade."

"That's alright." Itami paused as he pondered his next question before deciding to ask. "Cato, do you know anything about the Gate on Alnus Hill?"

The sage stroke his beard, taking his time to respond. "That, I admit, I have almost no knowledge of. It's as much a mystery to me to you, Sir Itami. I came to Coda Village to study the Gate, but made no progress so far because your people have restricted access to the hill. What I can tell you though, this is not the first time this has happened."

"This happened before?" Itami stared at Cato, who merely nodded.

"The Gate which brought you to this world has been recorded throughout our history for millenniums. No one knows what causes its occurrence, but every time it opens it acts as a portal to another world. There's very little actual information on how this works because of how rare the Gate appears. A curious theory is that the Gate was created by the gods themselves. For what purpose, I don't know. The gods and apostles are rather mummed about this.

"You should also know that some scholars have traced the origins of most races in Falmart to the Gate. It's a wild theory, but it is possible that originally most of the species here were from different worlds themselves, only to be brought here by the Gate. The first human sighting in Falmart was said to happen supposedly around the same time period as the last Gate appearance, which was two millenniums ago, far before the Empire was founded."

Itami did not know what to say about the information he was hearing. If this was true, it was very possible that the Gate had appeared on Earth many centuries ago, which would explain the many similarities the Imperials shared with some of Earth's ancient cultures. Then a strange thought occurred to him.

"Cato, from what you've said, does this mean that the Gate will close and disappear after some time?"

Kuwahara and Daisuke stared at him, and he could tell they knew what he was implying with his question.

The sage gave a slow nod. "Yes, it would eventually close, but I do not know when that will happen. I can see you are wondering whether you and your people will be trapped once the Gate does close. You will be, unless you manage to return back to your world before that happens."

Itami nodded. He knew that when the Task Force came to the Special Region, they did so with the expectation that the Gate might disappear someday. "Is there any way of knowing when?"

"I'm afraid I'm not aware of a way. Only the gods or whoever that opened the Gate will know."

Itami pondered for a moment, the talk of being trap away from home making him nervous. Surely there must be some sign or signal when the Gate is about close. Ever since its appearance at Ginza, the scientists studying it have made no further discovery besides the obvious fact that it's a big building which transports people to another world. Perhaps the key lies in interpreting those strange symbols inscribed inside the Gate. From what he heard, no one had yet been able to understand them; the Imperials captured at Ginza were clueless about those symbols as well. He looked at Cato, and a strange idea came to him.

"Cato, you've said that you came all the way here to study the Gate, correct?"

"That is correct."

"What would you say if I can get you access to the Gate? Will you help us study it and tell us its expiring date? We could use your knowledge of the magic in this world."

The mage looked surprised. "I would say yes, Sir Itami. That will be most appreciated if you can do so."

Itami nodded with a smile. Kuwahara tapped him on the shoulder.

"Sir, shouldn't we have contacted HQ first before making this offer?" the sergeant major asked.

"It'll be alright, Kuwahara," Itami said, then faced Cato again. "I'll have to speak with my superior first. If they agree, there will be a place for you to stay at our camp. From there you can visit the Gate as much as you want."

"Thank you, Sir Itami." The sage bowed low.

"I think we should leave now. Thank you for your help, Cato. I'll inform you of my superiors' answer." He stood up. "Kuwahara, get the others ready to move out. Also, tell Hayato to ready the comms to HQ."

§§§§§§§§

Mari found Itami with Leading Private Hayato Sasagawa, the Third Recon's radio operator. The leading private seemed to be fiddling with the radio frequency inside the LAV, while the second lieutenant waited patiently. She hurried towards them, ignoring Kurata's wave of greeting as she walked pass the driver.

"Sir, I need to speak to you," she called out, drawing Itami's attention.

Itami glanced at Hayato, seeing that he still needed a few more minutes to properly set up the high-frequency needed to contact the recon company's headquarters. "Sure, Mari. What do you need?"

She paused to gather her thoughts before speaking. "Sir, me and Sergeant Kuribayashi were helping out at the village's sick house, and I found that several of villagers would need some more medical care. If it's possible, could we bring them back to the base's infirmary."

"Mari, we can't be taking every civilian we find back to base. Our resources are already hard pressed because of our budget cuts. The refugee camp is already overflowing, and it's only been a week since it opened."

"I know, sir, but most of these villagers _need_ to see a doctor. The conditions they are in now is making recovery almost impossible. The sick house itself is a dump, and the nurses they have are clueless. I know I can do something for them, but I don't have the medicine and equipment here. Please, sir." She looked into Itami's eyes, hoping that he would not refuse her.

"Do any of them need emergency care?" he asked.

"No, but they do definitely need to see a doctor," she said.

Itami shook his head. "Sorry, Mari. My hands are tied. We still need to continue with our mission. There's still many villages we have to visit. I can't delay it anymore to take a few villagers back to base if they aren't in critical condition."

"But sir—"

"Sir, Captain Saza is on the line," Hayato interrupted, finally managing to reach HQ.

Itami gave Mari an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Mari. I'll speak to you in a minute." He went over to the radio, taking the transmitter from Hayato.

Mari's heart fell as she realized that the lieutenant was right. The Special Region Task Force were here to make war on the Empire; they could not afford to direct too much resource to taking care every refugee and civilian they encounter. But the thought of the conditions in which the patients in that sick house were staying in made her fist clinch. Those outdated medical practices were not going to help anyone, and were more likely to cause death than save life. She knew it wasn't the nurses' fault because they did not have access to modern medical technology and medicine, but still she wished someone would show them a better way to treat their patients.

"Captain, we found a mage here who confirms that the Gate will close eventually," Mari heard Itami talking into the radio transmitter. "No, sir, he doesn't know the exact time it will close, but I believe that if we allow him access to the Gate he might be able to find out. He's a scholar who has spent a lot of time studying the land and the continent we're on. His knowledge will be useful to us." A pause. "I understand, sir, you'll speak to General Hazama about it. No, sir, that's all I have to report—"

Itami trailed off mid-sentence and Mari noticed that the second lieutenant was now staring at her. She turned her attention curiously to her feet.

"Actually, sir, I have another request to make," Itami continued. "We found some villagers in need of medical attention. Permission to take them back to see a doctor." Mari's heart clenched as she realized what Itami was doing. "I see, sir. I understand, sir. Third Recon, out."

Itami handed the transmitter back to Hayato, and looked to Mari.

"Sir?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Captain Saza's orders are for us to continue the mission with no more delays." He smiled suddenly. "But we are free to pick up the villagers and bring them to base once we have completed the task."

Mari let out a sigh of relief, feeling her shoulders slump from the tension. "Thank you, sir, thank you. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome, Mari. You can tell those villagers we will come back for them in a few hours."

"Yes, sir. I will."

Itami nodded, then sighed. "Now I need to ask Eldar for his permission to take his people away. That's going to be troublesome."

"Thank you, sir."

He waved her off, heading off in the direction of the village again to speak with the village chief.

"So, what did the lieutenant say?" Shino asked when Mari found her.

Mari smiled. "He said yes. But the mission continues for now. We'll pick them up on the way back. He's a good man, Itami."

"I bet you say that to every man who agrees to your request."

"No, I mean it. He's a good man."

§§§§§§§§

Cato El Altesan sat on his patio chair, looking out into the evening. The lights of the village illuminated before him, and he could not help but smile at the place which he had grown accustomed to living in during the last few months. Sure, it was no luxurious living like back in his home in Rondel, but Coda Village had a simplicity which the large cities did not possess. A simplicity which was oddly comforting. Perhaps this was why people his age tend to retire to the countryside.

The sound of his cabin door opening broke him out of his thoughts. He turned and saw his apprentice standing at the doorway.

"Master, I've finished copying the maps you'd me to."

"Oh, thank you, Lelei."

"Is there anything else you need me to do, Master?"

Cato shook his head. "No, you've done well, Lelei. Come sit here, I've something to tell you."

Lelei did as she was told, pulling up a stool next to him. He pulled the brim of his hat down as he felt the wind stir, stroking his beard with the other hand.

"Master, what is it?"

"The people of the other world has invited me to come and study the Gate."

Lelei showed no reaction to the news, but he was familiar with how little expressions the girl had.

"This is what we came here for, Lelei. A chance to find out what exactly this thing is and how it connects to other worlds. We'll need to pack soon, all my books and scrolls."

"Yes, master."

"So how were those sick? Did you give them the herbs I prescribed?"

"I did, master. But something happened today. I met a medic."

"A medic?" The foreign word held no meaning to him.

"Someone who helps the sick. She was one of the people of the other world."

Cato looked at his apprentice and, to his surprise, found that she was actually smiling. "Interesting. What happened?"

"She was amazing. The way she could tell what illnesses the villagers had just by looking in their eyes and touching their wrists. And how she knew exactly what to do. She told me that bloodletting is wrong; it does more harm than good."

Cato laughed at that. "Bah! Bloodletting is wrong? She must be a fraud!" The sage shook his head. These people of the other world were strange indeed. How could bloodletting be wrong? Everyone knew that bleeding was essential to release the foul humour in the body and speed the patient's recovery.

Lelei shook her head. "No, I don't think so, master. Half the patients said that they feel better after eating the medicine she gave them."

Cato waved it off, not believing. "I heard that they took a couple of patient back to their camp."

"They did. Mari, the medic, said they would be healed there."

"They're a strange people. They talk and act as if they already rule the place. Coming here and taking whoever they want. The chief tells me that we should consider ourselves under their protection if we're ever in trouble. It's funny, but they do have good intentions."

Lelei did not say anything to that, looking out and resting her eyes on the dark horizon. Cato watched his prodigy with silent pride. She would be a great mage one day, he thought. Perhaps she would someday find herself being the head of the Magic Academy in Rondel. The potential in her was limitless, and he could not thank the gods enough for the luck he had in finding her as an apprentice.

He turned his attention to the horizon as well.

It was then he saw the flicker of flames in the distance. He rubbed his eyes. There it was again. It was miles away, but there was no doubt about it. Something was burning. It must have been something large for the fire to be visible here.

"Lelei, do you see that fire there?"

The apprentice nodded.

A sudden premonition dawn on Cato, and he got up from his chair. "Lelei, come with me, quick."

He went inside his cabin, summoning a quill and parchment to hand. He hastily scribbled something down, then rolled it up before sealing it with candle wax. "Lelei, I need you to deliver this letter to Alnus. Take the horse in the stable. Don't stop and you should reach there by morning." He handed over the letter, and put on his cloak. "I'm going to speak with the chief now."

"What's happening, master?"

"Just a precaution, but something tells that fire isn't natural."

§§§§§§§§

The wind howled around her, making her silver hair dance. It was night and her deep blue skin was camouflaged in the dark. She sat on top of a tall ridge, legs dangling off the cliff, watching the land before her in sadistic interest. Across her line of vision, she saw fire. Fire which burned the grass and lit the trees. In the silence of the night she heard the cries, the screams, the sound of horror and despair. Humans. Running for their lives despite the futility. Their homes, villages, destroyed. Their families, dead. They were all left to her mercy, but she had none.

Giselle's lips twisted into a sick grin as a great shadow suddenly fell on her, covering her completely in darkness. She flexed her wings, and ran a thumb over the blade of her scythe, drawing fresh red blood.

"Burn," she whispered.

The Fire Dragon soaring above her roared.

* * *

 **This was the longest chapter I've written, all the other chapter so far were only 5k words long. This one nearly reached 8k. I finally got a chance to develop more of Mari's character here, something I've been meaning to do for a while now but never got the chance in Arc 1.**

 **One thing I had trouble was trying to write the dialogues for Cato explaining magic. I was just pulling crap out of my arsehole and hoped that it sounded interesting and made somewhat sense.**

 **The next update will probably be next week, but I've actually got a lot of free time now since my exams are over so I might update early. We'll see.**

 **A big thank you to all who have favorited, followed, review. Hope you people stick around, this story is only getting started.**


	8. Chapter 6: Upheaval

**Sorry for being a bit late with this update. This chapter took several drafts before I was happy with it. This chapter marks the exact middle of this story and I wanted it to be an important one. Unfortunately, I just missed the 50,000 word mark. Reckoned I could have padded some of the scenes with more words but didn't feel right. Anyway, enjoy the read.**

* * *

 **Escalation: Upheaval**

Lelei rode all night. Her back ached and her thighs were sore, unused to long hours of riding. Sweat ran down her face, causing her blue hair to plaster onto her forehead. The horse was panting heavily and she could feel it slowing, knowing that it was approaching exhaustion. Nevertheless, she spurred her heels into the steed's flanks, edging it to push on. It would have been wiser to let it stopped for an hour or so to let it rest, but her master had told her not to stop and keep going until she reached Alnus; she dared not disobey. Whatever the message of the letter she carried were, it must be of the utmost importance.

Ahead, the sun was rising in the horizon, bright orange light heralding the coming of dawn. The highway road was covered in frost, frozen from the freezing night before. The land around was a roll of hilly terrain capped with tall coniferous trees, and the road ran through a wide valley between two opposing hills. Lelei knew she was getting close to her destination; the holy hill must not be far off.

She wondered what could have caused her master to suddenly sent her on this mission. Cato El Altesan was an eccentric man, but nothing could explain why he acted the way he did. She knew it had something to do with the fire they saw, but from what she could tell it was another occurrence of wildfire; though since it was winter and cold, that theory was in question. The only other possibility was it could be the campfires of a large bandit force. Did her master suspect that? She regretted not pressing him on what was it. It didn't matter now though, she would find out later.

The highway here twisted round the contours of one hill. Large trees whose leaves had yet to fall off the branches hid much of the landscape from view. She tapped her heels against the horse's sides again and the beast reluctantly galloped faster.

A sharp whistle, then the sound of a bow snapped. The next thing Lelei knew, her horse was stumbling to the ground, an arrow struck dead in its chest, blood pouring out of its pumping heart. She felt the beast gave way and fall, and she gave a startled cry. She barely had time to unhook her feet from the stirrups before she herself fell to the ground. The momentum of the speed she had been going threw her off the road and onto the grass. The whole world turned upside down as she crashed to the ground. Her head smashed against the earth, blinding her with pain, her vision going white for an instance, and she cried out in agony. Her body rolled and flopped for a few meters before coming to a stop.

Her ears were ringing and she could hear nothing else but the sound of her own breathing, panting. She felt paralyzed, immense pain immobilizing her. The light of the sun was overbearing on her eyes, and for a brief moment she wondered whether she had cracked her head wide open and was dying.

But then the worst of the pain faded, and she gingerly moved, feeling for any broken bones. Thankfully, there was none and she flopped onto her hands and knees, taking a second to catch her breath, before pushing herself up, a wave of dizziness hitting her. She touched where her head had banged against the ground, and her hand came away entirely bloodied.

She heard a loud warcry and all around her armed men came running out of the tree lines. Her vision was still blurred but she counted a dozen of them. It not difficult to guess that these men were bandits, ambushing anyone who passed through this section of the highway. The enclosure of the valley and forest covers provided the perfect location to concealed the men.

She did nothing for a moment, her body still aching too much from the fall., but then her brain began to work again; she would have to fight. She reached for her staff, which she had dropped when she fell, and patted the pocket of her robe to ensure that her master's letter was still there. It was, and she closed her eyes as she chanted the incantation for the defensive spell which all mages learnt during their first week in the Magic Academy. A bright turquoise aura simmered in the air around her.

The men coming for her were huge and muscular, and they wielding heavy axes in their burly arms. Their faces grinned with the ecstasy of capturing a young vulnerable girl. Lelei pointed the tip of her staff at the closest one and muttered a spell. A brilliant purple bolt shot forth and struck him dead on the chest. The impact threw him backwards and he crumpled on the ground, struggling to get back up.

"She's a mage!" she heard one of them shouted.

She turned around and formed a ball of energy in her palm before releasing it on her attackers. The ball expanded and exploded in the face of two bandits. Blood flew and they screamed as they were knocked away from the blast. It was not a spell which she had learnt from her master but one of the few which she had learnt with her many duels with her sister. Her master would surely disapprove of such a spell for he was of the view that magic is sacred and should not be used to harm others.

The other bandits now hesitated and then, as if they remembered they were only facing a child and had the numbers advantage, they charged again.

Lelei's head throbbed painfully from her fall, but she knew she had to keep fighting. Arrows flew at her, only to be deflected by the defensive magic she had casted on herself. She levitated one of the fallen bandit's sword and directed it at one of the archers. The sword shot forward and impaled itself into the man's stomach. The bandit doubled over, blood spilling out of his mouth and then he collapsed.

Mental and physical strain drained Lelei and she was feeling weak. She knew she had to be careful of using too much magic or else she risked passing out and potentially dying. Her master had often told her of the stories of overzealous mages who tried going beyond their limits and ended up falling into a never-ending sleep.

A loud shout roared behind her, and she realized that her moment of distraction had allowed a bandit to sneak up on her. She swung her staff at the man, but yelped in surprise as he easily caught it, twisted it out of her grip, and brought a large fist down on her face. The blow knocked her off her feet, caused her to cry out. She looked up and could only stare in fear as the man loomed over her, raising his axe to bear down on her.

The axe swung down.

But her defensive spell _just_ managed to hold before breaking entirely, shattering into millions of red fragments. The force of the axeblade was sapped away and the bandit stared in wonder at why his weapon did not cut home.

Lelei took advantage of the momentary diversion and blew the man away with a blast of wind energy. Her heart was pounding at the near-death experience, and she quickly picked up her staff and got up. She looked around for the remaining bandits, but then realized that they had fled. Probably now fearful they could not take on a mage by themselves. She saw the last of them run into the tree lines again, disappearing into the forest on the hills.

She could find little joy in a victory though, only pain and exhaustion. The night's ride and the fight had taken its toll on her. Her head was bleeding more than ever and she felt her legs growing weak and in protest of her supporting her body. She reached in her pocket and pulled out her master's letter. It was undamaged, and she smiled tiredly at the fact.

Then she collapsed.

§§§§§§§§

Itami absently scrolled through the checklist of items on his smartphone needed to be done for the day. The Third Recon Team was on the road yet again, and they would be continuing their mission of establishing contacts with local settlements. He leaned back against his seat and stared out of the LAV window to observe the countryside. He wondered what General Hazama was planning next to do in the war against the Empire. The Task Force had managed to secure a vast amount of land, bringing small towns and villages under their control. However, the sheer expanse of the continent and lack of sufficient infrastructure was stretching the Task Force personnel to the limit and the recent infestation of bandits were proving to be a significant problem. As such, for now, Itami reckoned, Hazama was merely gathering enough information for the land before making any major decision.

"We'll stop by Coda first to pick up Cato's maps before continuing from where we left off yesterday," he explained to the rest of the team through his headset.

"Hopefully he has them ready," Kurata said. "Captain Saza sure does want to get his hands on those, doesn't he?"

Itami nodded.

"How did the meeting Hazama go anyway, sir? Did he agree to bring in Cato to study the Gate?"

"Not yet. He said that he needs to speak to those in charge back in Japan. Apparently, the decision isn't his to make."

"I don't see why not, sir? The guy might be helpful with his magic knowledge and stuff."

"I agree. There's still a lot we don't know about this world. I sometimes wonder if this is how Saito felt when he was summoned to Halkegia."

"Ayy, Familiar of Zero reference." Kurata laughed. "Saito was probably too distracted by Siesta's chest to really think about his situation. God I would love to be in his position."

"Wait a minute, you're a Siesta fanboy?" Itami asked, eyebrows raised.

"No, sir, of course not. I'm a Kirche guy."

"Oh good, thought you were retarded for a moment, Kurata." Itami chuckled.

"Fuck that, sir. Kirche all the way."

"Always."

"You and me, sir, we're the Saitos of this world."

"Can you two stop talking about anime for a minute?" Shino said annoyed from the backseat. "If not then let me ride with Kuwahara's squad. Geez, almost forgot what dweebs you two are."

"I see we got a Louise back there, sir," Kurata whispered to Itami.

Itami nodded with a grin. He looked out to the countryside again, and saw that they were still about another an hour or so away from Coda. The hills here were covered with trees and the height in which they grew was something unseen of back in Japan. There were no birds in the air as it was winter. The road was covered in frost and Kurata was driving slowly just to be on the safe side.

As they entered a valley between two hills, Itami looked ahead and thought to himself that this would be a good place for the Task Force to set up an outpost. They would only need to clear the trees and they would have a good control of whoever passes through this way of the highway. He made a note in his phone to mention this to Captain Saza in today's report.

"What the fuck? Sir, look ahead!"

Itami pushed his thoughts away and looked at where Kurata had pointed. Four bodies laid on the road in front of the Third Recon, their blood flowing like rivers. Weapons and arrows laid everywhere, a sign that a fight had taken place. Itami acted immediately.

"Third Recon, go on alert. There was a fight here not too long it seems. Hostiles might still be present."

The team acknowledged through the comms.

"Sir, that's Lelei!" Shino had leaned forward to the front seats and pointed to one of the bodies, which was a small girl whose light blue hair was now dyed red with blood. Shino pushed open the LAV door and dismounted, running for the girl.

"Wait, Kurabayashi!" Itami called out too late. He silently cursed the female sergeant first class for disregarding safety as they might still be enemies around. "Kuwahara, you and your squad watch the treelines. Mari, check on the bodies. The rest of you with me."

He dismounted, readying his rifle and flipping its safety lock off. "Weapons hot. We will be searching these forests around us to see if there's anyone else. Care that if you encounter someone make sure they're hostile first or not before you pull the trigger."

His squad assented.

"Nishina, take your guys and search the trees on the left. I'll go right."

"Yes, sir." Tetsuya Nishina, a skinny master sergeant, nodded and took three members of the team to carry out his order.

"Kurabayashi, you're with me. Leave the girl to Mari." Shino nodded, then stood up and hurried to Itami's side.

She had her finger on her rifle's trigger and her grip was tensed. "Sir, she's still alive. She's bleeding a lot in the head, but she's breathing."

Itami nodded. "Let's go."

He slowly edged forward to the treelines, his squad behind him. There was no one in sight, but he saw traces of footprints on the grass. When he reached the edge of the forest which grew on the slope of the hill, he found a battleaxe abandoned on the ground. A few more meters ahead, a bow. Whoever had these had fled in a hurry, he thought. He signaled Tomita to take the right flank and Hitoshi to the left.

"It's all quiet here, sir," Hitoshi said.

"Same here," Tomita echoed.

"We're going in the forest more. We can't be too sure if there's any enemy here." Itami moved forward.

Except for the sound of their feet shuffling on fallen leaves, all else was silent. Then the silence was broken by a scream coming from ahead. Alert, Itami ordered that they check it out. They moved with both caution and speed.

It was when they came into a small clearing that they stopped and froze. Itami felt like vomiting.

Before them, were the corpses of eight bandits, their bodies dismembered in the most gruesome of ways. Some with heads detached from their shoulders, while others with their guts split opened and spilling onto the ground. Blood flowed like rivers, All the bodies' eyes were wide and their faces white, the type of white of people who had just seen the most horrible of horribles.

Mouth hanging agape, it was then Itami noticed that standing amongst all the bodies was a small petite girl wielding an impossibly large halberd in her hands. She was dressed in a frilly black dress which barely covered her upper thighs. Her dark hair, tied with a dark ribbon, seemed to dance with dangerous flair. And her lips, coloured in purple lipstick, curled into a menacing grin as she licked the blood that had splattered on her face.

"God," the word escaped Itami, and his breath choked in his throat when the strange girl's eyes suddenly fixed on him. He felt his heart rate rising, and as each second passed under the girl's gaze, the more he felt like turning and running. Those dark red eyes were not normal in the slightest, nor were they innocent at all.

He sensed rather than saw the rest of his squad beside him tensing in confusion and fear as well. They had their rifles trained on her, but not any one of them knew whether they should fire upon on a little girl. Each of them watched her carefully, paying extra attention to the blood which were dripping from her halberd's blade. It was becoming painfully obvious that she was the cause of this scene of carnage and death.

The Third Recon and the mysterious girl stared off, neither party making the first move. Then one of the bodies on the ground groaned. The realization that the man was still somehow alive was instantly silenced when the girl stabbed the butt of weapon through his throat, ensuring his death. Tomita and Shino jerked their rifles at the motion, but Itami quickly raised his hand to tell them to hold their fire. The bandit's gurgling choke filled the silence for several moments before devolving back to quiet.

When the body had stopped twitching, the girl turned her attention back to Itami. Her entire torso was covered in blood.

"So what do have here, Emroy?"

Itami felt his heart skip a beat at the sound of the girl's voice. It was confident, cocky, arrogant—a voice far too mature for a girl so young. It could even be described as dangerous.

"Who are you?" Itami asked slowly. Why was he so afraid of her?

The girl cocked her head to one side, as if simply contemplating whether to answer or just kill all of them. Then she smiled—smirked. "I am Rory Mercury, apostle to the Dark God, Emroy."

Apostle? He had heard of that word before from the mouths of many people in the Special Region. Emroy? That was a name whispered during the offerings the refugees in Alnus base for the souls of their lost families and friends. He was nearly clueless in the customs of the land, but from what he could tell, this girl was no ordinary human—perhaps not even human at all. He did not like that thought at all.

"You killed these men?"

Rory gave him a look that told him how stupid he was to ask the question. The answer was obvious, but Itami could not in his heart believe a small girl such as her could have done such a thing.

"Why?"

Rory let the moment dragged out for longer before answering, "Because they are sinners. And sinners are condemned to death. When they committed their crimes, they believed they were beyond the reach of the laws, but they had forgot about the hands of Emroy. I am Emroy's hands, and their deaths were pleasing to him." She raised her halberd effortless in one hand and showed the blood on the blade. "Their blood was their penance."

Itami did not understand everything she'd said, but understood enough and he could not believe that he had just heard those words coming from a girl's mouth. She was not human, he told himself, but found it hard to believe it despite all evidence pointing otherwise. How was he supposed to act?

"So you all are the men in green," Rory said, observing the others. "I've heard many things about your people ever since they arrived to this world."

Rory glanced at each one of the team before deciding to strode up to Itami. The members of the Third Recon followed with their weapons as she moved. Itami kept his hand raised so that they would not fire. The death god's apostle came right up to his immediate vicinity and leaned towards him.

"Are you not going to introduce yourself?"

Itami gulped. "Itami Yoji."

"Itami Yoji," she said the name. "Maybe you can help me with something?"

He felt a drop of sweat rolling down his cheek. "What is it?"

"I am searching for a Fire Dragon. Cute little thing, but it's been causing a lot of trouble. Have you seen it around?"

"Fire Dragon?" That was the thing he understood. He wished Daisuke was here to translate.

"Oh you haven't? Well then—" she turned around and began to walk off "—I must be going then. We shall meet some other time, Itami."

"What? Wait!"

She sprinted away out of the clearing with a speed that was simply supernatural. Before Itami knew what happened, she was gone. Disappeared into the forest as if she hadn't been there to begin with, except for the carnage she'd left behind. The rest of the team had also been too slow to react and were hopeless in stopping her. The sound of crows cawed above the forest canopy.

"What just happened?" Itami voiced his thoughts aloud.

"I have no fucking idea, sir," Shino said.

§§§§§§§§

After scouring the forest, Itami and his squad could not find any signs of the apostle. Knowing that they had no chance of catching her, he decided to head back to the road. His mind kept replaying the confrontation with Rory and he still could not for the life of him figured what had it all been about.

Mari was attending to the wounded girl, who was lying down with her head bandaged. The three bodies of bandits had been dragged off the road and onto the grass.

"Isn't this Cato's apprentice from Coda?" he asked as he approached, seeing that the mage's apprentice was conscious, her eyes tired but opened.

"She is," Mari replied.

Itami squatted down to her. "You're Lelei, am I right?"

Lelei nodded. Her face was full of dirt and swollen with bruises.

"What are you doing here, Lelei?"

Lelei gingerly reached inside her pocket and pulled out a scroll. She held it to Itami. "My master…sent this. It's…urgent."

He took it, promptly broke the seal and opened it. It was written in the Imperial language, of which he hardly understood the characters, let alone the content of this message. So he handed it to Daisuke, the leading private proving to be incredibly useful in the Third Recon's operations. He made a mental note to be less lazy and more diligent in learning the new language himself.

Daisuke Tozu took several minutes to read through the letter, scanning it several times and consulting the small dictionary he had made in his notebook which he carried everywhere.

"What does it say, Daisuke?" Kurata asked.

The leading private shook his head in gesture that he was not to be rushed. Then he put away his notebook and adjusted his glasses before speaking.

"'Sir Itami, please hurry to Coda Village as soon as you receive this message. I have no time to explain everything in this letter, but the village is potentially in danger. I can't be certain of the danger, but my instincts are telling me that something is wrong. I hope that they're wrong, but so far, they haven't. I plead you for your help, the lives of everyone in the village may be at risk. Even now, I hope that this message will reach you in time.'"

Daisuke handed back the scroll, and Itami saw at the bottom of the page was a hastily scrawled signature.

"May I see that, sir?" Kuwahara asked.

Itami passed it over. "What do you think of it?"

The sergeant major didn't say anything for several moments as he tried to read the letter. "I doubt that Cato would send this without a valid reason. It's worth checking it out. We're heading to Coda anyway."

"What about Lelei though?" Itami indicated at the wounded apprentice. "It looks like she's lost a lot of blood. We might need to take her back to base to get her checked out." He glanced at Mari, who nodded.

Kuwahara shrugged. "Your call, sir."

Itami sighed. This was the problem with being the leader, he thought, he was the one who had to make the decisions. He was never someone who was good with responsibilities. Nevertheless, he would still do his job.

He turned his attention back to Lelei. "What danger is there?"

"I…don't know. My master didn't…mention." The response was slow and Itami wondered if he should just let the girl rest more. Perhaps he should take her back to base. "We saw…a huge fire."

"Fire?" Suddenly his thoughts returned to the strange encounter in the forest again. "Fire Dragon?"

At that, Lelei's eyes widened.

Itami saw her reaction. "What is it?"

The girl tried to push herself up to sit, but Mari kept her down. "You should stay lying down, Lelei."

The apprentice shook her head, wincing at the pain as she did so. "I need to go back."

"No Lelei," Itami said, "we're taking you back to see a doctor."

"Please." Lelei looked pleadingly at him. "I think…the Fire Dragon has woken early. My village is in danger. I think that's what my master thought."

Itami looked at the girl for a long moment, then gave a slow nod. "Alright, we'll take you to Coda."

§§§§§§§§

Itami knew something was wrong the moment he saw smoke in the distance. Then when the village came into view did his breath choked in his throat and he could not speak, all his veins suddenly flushed with ice-water.

The village was gone. Everything gone. Coda Village, just the day before, so full of people and life, now gone. The walls which had protected the village was nothing but charred timbers. The houses as well. The villagers were dead, their bodies merely black remains among the many. No living thing was in sight. Even the carrion-seekers were not here, for everything was too burnt for even them to eat.

Itami could hardly look. Everywhere he looked he saw death. People he had just met yesterday, now dead. The scene was barely different from the one he saw at Ginza. Hundreds of men and women and children dead after trying to flee for their lives. Everything going up in blood, fire, and smoke. He had seen the aftermaths of many villages after they were attacked by bandits, but this was on an entirely different scale. He could not explain it, except that he knew it in his heart.

"What the hell…" he heard Kurata muttered as they dismounted in front of what had been Coda.

"Lelei!" Mari could not stop the girl from running to the village. The medic ran after her.

Itami watched as the two disappeared into the smoking ruins, then turned to the rest of the Third Recon. "Look for any survivors. Let's hope there are any."

His team acknowledged their order, then spread out and searched, keeping morbidly silent. They dug through ashes, slow and steady, dragged clear scorched timbers, and doused out still burning fires with the extinguishers kept in their vehicles. Some of the houses fell as the foundation gave way, crashing to the ground and causing clouds of soot to form. Itami felt his stomach groaning in pain and disgust, and he went through the village, doing his part in the search. He turned over bodies to make sure if any were still alive, but none were.

As he made his way to near the center of the settlement, he recognized the brick house of the village chief, Eldar. The roof was all but gone now, and nothing stood except for a tottering chimney-stack. The smoke was still rising from the pile of remains. The chief himself was nowhere to be found. Itami wondered whether if the man had escaped and lived. All evidence pointed to the contrary though.

He carried his search to a different part of the village, up a small hill, where he knew the Cato's quarters were. It was hardly different here than anywhere else. Everything burnt and destroyed. Lelei and Mari stood outside the wreckage of the sage's home, the medic desperately trying to get the apprentice to go back to the vehicles.

"Sir," Mari acknowledged him as he approached.

Itami nodded and said to Lelei, "You should listen to Mari. She's only looking out for you."

The girl nodded, but did not move otherwise. She continued to stare at the ruined house, leaning on her staff as she was too weak to stand on her own. Here and there, pages of books and tomes flew back and forth, blown by the wind. The air was acrid, and it was suffocating.

"My master's life work was all here," Lelei said quietly.

"Is this the work of the Fire Dragon?" Itami asked her.

He had noticed that there was no horse or foot-print which would betray the tracks of the attackers. This meant the attack had come from the air.

Lelei nodded, and he could tell that she was holding back a great emotion. "The scourge of the Empire. That's what they called it in the stories."

"You said that it had woken early. What do you mean by that?"

"The last time the Fire Dragon went on a rampage, a powerful wizard put it to sleep for a century. But it has only been half that time now and it's here already."

"What could have caused that?"

"Only someone equally or stronger could have broken the sleep spell."

"So, you are saying someone woke it on purpose."

Lelei nodded. "That's the only possibility I see."

Itami nodded. "Why though?"

"I don't know."

Lelei turned and began to walk back to the vehicles, with Mari supporting her. Itami watched them go and then continued his search. Later, Shino found him as he was washing his soot-covered hands in the river.

"We can't find any survivors, sir. We found the body of the chief though. It seems that most of the villagers were killed."

Itami nodded solemnly. "I see, Kurabayashi."

§§§§§§§§

The refugee camp was still in its fledging state with many new buildings still in construction. Civilian contractors, hired from Japan, went about the scene, carrying blueprints and instructions for the layout of the camp. With the arrival of more refugees, the need for more houses was growing rapidly, and with that, the question of who was to pay all the expenses.

Mari led Lelei to a small cabin. It only contained a single bed and nothing else. A dim lightbulb illuminated the cramp space, and there was a small window which opened into a view of other housing cabins.

"You'll be staying here, Lelei. Sorry if it's too small." She handed the girl the key to the room after showing her how to operate the lock.

"No, it's fine, Mari. I don't need much space anyway. Thank you."

Mari looked at the little girl, trying to figure how much the girl had just gone through in one day. Nearly died. Her home destroyed. Everything she had lost. And now alone and forced to live amongst strangers. It was too much for anyone to bear, let alone a girl of her age.

"You said you have an older sister, didn't you? Is there any way we can get into contact with her? We can take you back to her after we find her."

"I…I cannot go back." The apprentice's voice was soft and distant.

Mari looked at her questioningly. "Why?"

"My master's work is still incomplete. He came here to study the Gate, but he died before he could complete it, so now the task belongs to me."

"Lelei, you know, we couldn't find Cato's body, so he might still be alive and hiding somewhere else. We'll continue searching tomorrow."

"No one can escape the Fire Dragon." That was all Lelei said in response.

"It's still good to hope for the contrary though," Mari said, trying to stay optimistic.

But the effect of her words didn't seem to have any effect on the mage's apprentice. Seeing this, she sat down on the bed. "Lelei, come sit down." The girl did as suggested. "What can I do for you, Lelei?"

The girl shook her head. "It's fine, Mari. I can handle myself."

It was Mari's turn to shake her head. "No, it's not fine. Lelei, I want you to know that I am someone you can come to for help. I'll be here for you."

"Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me."

"Can I be honest with you, Mari?" Lelei said quietly.

"Of course, you can."

Lelei paused for a long minute, not saying anything. Her eyes were focussing outside the window where the sky, covered with overcast grey clouds, began to rain. "I feel like crying."

Mari looked at the little girl and felt her heart ache in compassion. She now understood that here was a girl so unused to expressing her emotions that she did not simply know how to respond to everything that had happened. "Then cry."

At that cue, the tired expression broke into one of sadness and tears began pouring out. Mari pulled Lelei into a hug, patting her back in a motherly way. She didn't say anything, she felt there was little she could say.

Later, after Lelei had finished with all her tears, she told Mari that she wanted to rest. Mari smiled and left the room, heading outside, where the rain poured, feeling her own tears threatening to spill. She thought of all the villagers who had lost their lives today, the ones who she had just met yesterday. She did not know them at all, but somehow, she felt pain at the fact that they were now dead. She could only imagine what Lelei was going through. The sight of the little girl breaking down was breaking her heart.

Kurata found her standing out in the rain. "What the hell, Mari? You're getting wet!" He brought her under his umbrella. "What happened?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing, Kurata."

Kurata nodded, not noticing that how close she was to tears. "How's Lelei doing?"

"She's resting now."

"I see. Must have been rough for her."

"It is rough. No one should go through what she has."

"I know right."

They stood in silence for a while, then Kurata spoke again. "Hey, Mari. I don't know if you realized this, but you saved some of the villagers at least. If you hadn't convinced Itami to bring back some of them to base yesterday, they would have likely died to the dragon as well."

Mari nodded. The fact was little comfort to her, but she thanked Kurata for telling her nevertheless.

"You're doing a good job, Mari. I just want to say that."

"Thank you, Kurata. I needed that."

§§§§§§§§

Itami sat in front of his laptop, unable to think of what to write for the report he was supposed to submit to Captain Saza. This was never his favorite part of his job, but even today he was finding it especially hard to write anything. He thought back to Coda Village and how it was all destroyed now. It was speculated that a Fire Dragon was the culprit, but he had little proof; it could very well be another bandit attack. But he knew in his heart that this was no work of man, but of a monster.

He thought about the encounter he also had with Rory this morning. He wondered what was the connection between the apostle and the Fire Dragon. Should he include that in the report?

He let out a sigh, then glanced at the clock. He had only a few hours to submit. The office was quiet, with only him and a few others in here at the moment. The scent of coffee was noticeable in the air, and he yearned for a cup himself.

Reluctantly, he began typing.

Two hours later, he was done, and he hit the print button. The sound of the printing was monotonous. As he waited, he sent Captain Saza an electronic copy of it through the company's intranet.

He stapled the report, signed it, then went in search for his captain to hand it in.

The captain wasn't in his office, so he just left the report on his desk.

§§§§§§§§

" _Special Region Task Force of Japan and the United States of America_

 _Third Recon Team Report of 14 January 2017_

 _Unit Commander: 2nd Lieutenant Itami Yoji_

 _The day's mission was a continuing of the previous day's; establish contacts with local settlements and communicate peaceful intentions with civilians. The first destination was Coda Village, where the Third Recon would pick up a collection of local region maps. On the way, we encountered several bodies blocking the roads; three of which was confirmed to be bandits. The last was an unconscious girl named Lelei La Lelena, who is an apprentice to a sage Cato El Altesan, who we met yesterday. After gaining consciousness, she said she had a message from her master to us. Translating the message, we found that Cato had suspected an incoming attack on Coda Village, though the message did not specify what the danger was._

 _I made the decision to continue on to Coda because it was within reason that Cato would not send a request for aid without sufficient reason. Over there, the village was found to be completely burnt to the ground. No survivors were found and it is speculated most if not all the inhabited are dead. A number of bodies were found in a trail escaping the village but it is evident that no one was able to get far. All the bodies were found charred and burnt; there were no signs of any blade or arrow wounds which would have been present if the assailants were bandits. Lelei believed that the destruction of Coda Village was done by an ancient dragon called the Fire Dragon, and that it has a history of ravaging the countryside. The dragon was said to be put in a dormant state for a hundred years, but is now woken fifty years early._

 _We returned back to Alnus base after the search for survivors yielded no results. Lelei had her wounds treated in the infirmary and is now placed in the refugee camp, where she would stay until a known relative could be found."_

 _Excerpt of Third Recon Team Report of 14 January 2017_

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 **Don't have much to say about this chapter. Instead I want to thank all the reviewers, favorites and followers of this story. Special thanks to** RedSS **,** The Tundra Fox **, and** Jerry Unipeg **for their reviews as you guys have reviewed the most and I hope you will continue to do so. The main reason I started writing this story is because I wanted to tell a good story, it's real nice to know that some of you enjoy it.**

 **See you all when in the next update.**


	9. Chapter 7: Besieged

**So people it's been a month since I last updated. Me and my co-writer was just taking our time in reevaluating this story since we managed to reach halfway through the story now. Thanks to helpful advice from some reviewers, namely** RiptideZ **, I realized that there're some stuff that I need to fix in the earlier chapters, which I will do soon.** **Anyway the second arc has been going very good so far in my opinion and I hope to keep this up. Once we get to the third arc, I'll be working on drawing this story to a close. Got what I want for an epilogue in mind already. Anyway, I won't keep you any longer. Here's chapter 7.**

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 **Escalation: Besieged**

Itami stood to attention in front of Captain Saza's desk. The small interior of the captain's office meant that he could only stand with his back touching the door to maintain that respectful distance between superior and subordinate as he waited for the captain to acknowledged him. The short captain gave a small nod to the second lieutenant to be at ease before speaking.

"New orders for you, Yoji. You and your team are to survey the city of Italica." The captain gestured for Itami to take a closer look at the map of the Special Region laid out across his desk. A red pin marked a location, which Itami assumed was Italica. "It's the largest city we've encounter so far and our information currently gathered states that it is one of the Empire's most crucial agricultural centers. But more importantly, the city lies on two major highways; one of them is the Via Appia, which the locals have told us leads straight to Sadera, the Empire's capital.

"Your team will be keeping watch of the city for three days. Find out what you can. Garrison size, defenses, etc. And it goes without saying that you're to immediately inform me if there's any unusual development."

"I understand, sir. We'll find out everything we can."

Captain Saza nodded. "Also, 3rd Platoon of Deep Reconnaissance is going with you. I believe you're already familiar with their commanding officer?"

"Do you mean Lieutenant Bowman, sir?"

"Yes, exactly him."

Itami smiled. Him and the marine occasionally saw each other in the base and they would share a drink or two during recreational hours, but this would be the first time the two of them would embark on a mission together. "It'll be an honour to work with him, sir."

"I'm sure it will." Captain Saza picked up a folder of documents which was lying on top of a filing cabinet and held it out to Itami. "Here, these are what air reconnaissance have picked up so far about the city. When you return, I want to see your own _detailed_ report added to the file. Spare no details."

Itami took the folder. "Understood, sir."

"And I do mean spare no details. I don't want to receive another vague report like that Fire Dragon attack. Stop trying to cut corners, Yoji. You are recon, the eyes and ears of the Task Force's operations. Remember that."

"Yes, sir. I understand." Itami sighed inwardly, already thinking about the number of paperwork he would have to compile. He thought about the attack on Coda again. The Fire Dragon was still on the loose, but the effort to locate it was unsuccessful thus far; the land was too widespread and it was inefficient to devote too much resources to locate the rogue creature.

"Italica is where we will make our next major move," Captain Saza said. "The Empire has been quiet ever since attacking Alnus. We have them where we want. Beyond Italica is an open road the Empire's heartland. By taking it, we'll force the Imperials to the negotiating tables."

"Do you think the Imperials will actually surrender, sir?"

"They'll have to. We hold all the initiatives and advantage. But don't worry too much about that, Yoji. What matters now is that we do our jobs, let the higher ups deal with diplomacy while we back them with our guns."

"I see, sir."

Saza nodded. "You are dismissed."

As Itami left the office, he found a familiar face sitting in the waiting room outside. He smiled. "Sir!" he saluted.

Lieutenant Bowman of Force Recon stood, returning the smile and salute. "Ah Itami, I was waiting for you to come out. I guess you've just been briefed?" The second lieutenant nodded. "Good, good. Have you ever been deep behind enemy lines before?"

"No, sir. This will be the first."

The first lieutenant clapped a thick hand onto Itami's shoulder. "It's a whole new ball game altogether. But listen here, don't let your guard for a second. Complacency kills. Treat everything with caution. Proceed with every caution. Do that and you'll be fine."

"I'll have your lead to follow, sir."

Bowman chuckled. "That you have. But I'm not here to fucking hold your hands. You've got to lead yourself."

Itami nodded, understanding. "I think I'll be fine, sir."

"That's what I want to hear. Good." The first lieutenant let go his hand off Itami's shoulder. "Anyway, I'm told that you have the dossier on Italica?"

"It's all here, sir." Itami indicated at the folder Captain Saza gave him.

"Come then, we got lots to do."

§§§§§§§§

The blacksmith felt the heat of forge as it sent sparks flying at his cheeks. With an experienced hand, he pulled the bar of metal out of the furnace and laid it on top of a worn anvil, where using a hammer he began to shape the bar into an axe-head. From time to time, he would reheat the piece of metal, striking only when it glowed a bright yellow. The blade of the axe-head was crusted with impurities and they would be later removed in a different stage of the forging process.

Drops of sweat fell from his clammy forehead, sizzling and evaporating immediately as it hit the iron. His hair was full of smoke, now looking almost an old grey from all the soot. The exhaust stung his eyes as well, having turning it bloodshot red after several hours of work, but he had grown numb to the irritation. Fumes filled his nose, and he tried his best not to inhale, though it was impossible task. A fiery chip of ember flew out and landed on his arm, and he patted it away automatically, barely wincing at the pain.

He turned the axe-head over and over, hammering with consistent force. The dull ringing sound filled his open-aired workshop and he was only slightly aware of the glances he received from people walking past.

When the axe-head had finally been shaped to the quality he thought appropriate, he quenched the blade into a bucket of water, a sharp hiss sounding. Then he added the piece to the eleven others he had made earlier, and began to grind each of them to bring out the deadly edge which would allow them to cut through flesh in battle.

Once he was finished, he took off his leather apron, which had protected him well from sparks of the forge, and sat on a stool with a cup of water in hand. He was extremely parched and breathing felt like rubbing sandpaper against the linings of his throat.

As he rested, he watched the street. Three homeless men were camped outside his workshop, finding the heat of the furnace a comfort to the harsh winter air. He could not find the will to chase them away, not during tough times such as these. Times when people had to walk through the streets always armed; no one lingered or talk on street corners. Nobody met each other's eyes. Even the beggars kept out of people's ways, staying huddled to themselves, their eyes shifting with nervousness.

The blacksmith remembered just earlier this day one skinny man was stopped by a group of tattoed-grunts down the street. Before the man could say anything, he was knocked to the ground, kicked and stomped. His cries of pain and yelps for help went entirely ignored by other bystanders who hurried by, eager to be far away from the conflict as possible. The blacksmith had picked up his hammer when he saw this, but then slowly put it back down after a moment of consideration and looked away. The man was stripped of his belongings, his clothes and purse, and then left naked on the street, bleeding heavily from his head.

All along the street, folks had avoided the man with fear and trepidation as if he was inflicted with the plague even as he whimpered and cried. They were all fearful of the _raptores_ —one of the many gangs which had rose to dominate the slums of Italica and whose members were responsible of the beating of this thin man.

With the city under siege and the absence of law and order, thugs, criminals, and killers now ruled the streets of Italica. In times of peace, Italica had been one of the Empire's greatest cities; its inhabitant spoke with pride of their heritage and of their governor as they conducted themselves in trade and business. But now, surrounded with enemies on the outside, everyone was at each other's throats.

Terrible fires burning down houses during the night were not uncommon, sometimes killing entire families. The survivors were forced to take to the streets, where they starved and were beaten. Most of those who resorted to thieving for food had ended in their deaths.

How did all these happened? It started when Count Formal was summoned to take part in an expedition abroad. He had taken the city's best men. It was months later when the news came that the count had died in battle. Several months later, more men were sent to join the army advancing on Alnus. Then word came of the defeat at Alnus, followed by trade caravans being attacked on the road, then now an entire army of bandits appearing out of nowhere and laying siege to the city with barely enough men to defend it.

A teenage boy came running towards the blacksmith' workshop, and the blacksmith waved at him as he neared.

"You're here for the axe-heads?" he asked.

The boy nodded and held out a pouch jingling with coins.

The blacksmith took the payment and handed over a large bag with all dozen pieces inside. The boy would be taking the heads to a craftsman, who would be the one making and fitting the wooden poles to the axe-heads to complete the weapons, which would then be delivered to the city garrison.

"Lad, wait," the blacksmith stopped the boy as he turned to leave. The blacksmith walked up close to him and, when he was certain no one was looking, held out a small apple in his hand. "This is for you, lad. Keep it out of sight. People get mugged for less these days."

The boy nodded, hid the apple inside his shirt, and then ran along. The blacksmith watched as he disappeared down a corner of the street before sitting back down.

In the distance the watch tower's bell began to ring again, warning of another attack on the city.

§§§§§§§§

Kuwahara looked down at the checklist in his hands again, ticking off several items. He flipped a page and frowned.

"Kurata, where are those fuel containers? I asked for them fifteen minutes ago!"

"Was just on my way to get them, sarge," the driver called out before not-so-conspicuously running towards the motor pool's storage.

"Come on, stop slacking! We should be ready to go on a moment's notice."

He sighed, then ticked another item off the list as he saw Tomita bringing in the ammo boxes of 50 Cals needed for the M2 Browning. Setting aside his clipboard for a second, he helped the tall sergeant first class load the boxes onto the vehicles before returning to his supervising duties. Since the Third Recon would be behind enemy lines for several days, it was Kuwahara's job to ensure that the team was well-stocked in supplies.

"What else do we need, sarge?" Tomita asked.

"Go help Kurata with the fuel, will you? It'll probably take an hour longer if he's by himself."

"Very true, sir." The sergeant first class grinned and Kuwahara watched as he jogged his way to the storage. It was good to have a reliable man in the team, Kuwahara thought before returning attention to his clipboard.

For the next few minutes, he called off items on the list and listened as members of the team responded, either confirming that they have it or were going to get it. He double-checked what was inventoried, making sure that he had not ticked off something by mistake. The watch on his wrist told him the time was near noon, and it was only a few hours before they would set off from the base. He wondered when Itami was going to come back from his meeting with Force Recon; the second lieutenant was discussing with Lieutenant Bowman about their approach to Italica.

"…excuse me?" a voice came from behind him and he turned.

Lelei stood there, carrying a small satchel. She was not dressed in those blue robes she had when the Third Recon first met her, but in a simple green t-shirt, and brown trousers that were given to her.

Kuwahara smiled at her. "You shouldn't be here, Lelei," he said disapprovingly.

"I'm looking for…Mari." The girl's command of the Japanese language was far from fluent, but the rate of her learning was still nothing short of amazing. Mari had never failed to comment on that fact whenever she returned from her daily lesson with the girl.

"Sorry, Mari's not here. She went to get some medical supplies in the infirmary. She should be back soon though."

Lelei nodded slowly as she comprehended the sergeant major's reply. "Oh."

"Why do you want to see her anyway?"

"I want to give her these." She opened the satchel she had been carrying, showing that inside was a number of scrolls.

"What are they?"

"They're…my late master's maps. I recreated them from memory."

Kuwahara's eyes widened. "From _memory_?" Had he heard wrong?

"Yes…from memory. My master…he told me to copy a few maps for your leader," she said haltingly. "But…but those were…destroyed in the fire as well. These are new."

"Can I have a look?"

Lelei nodded and passed the satchel to him. There was no hiding the look of astonishment on Kuwahara's face as he took one scroll out and examined its contents. The details were extraordinary well-drawn, and one glance at it would begged the reason that this could not have been done by a child's hands. But if Lelei had not drew this, there was no other explanation. All of Cato's works had been destroyed along with the rest of Coda Village and the girl hardly seemed like the type to lie—or rather she had absolutely no reason to lie.

"You did all this from memory?" he said, unbelieving.

"My master used to say I have a very good memory," she said as if it was the most natural explanation ever.

"This isn't _just_ a good memory. This is photographic."

"Photographic?" The girl's head tilted slightly at the new word.

"It means that you can remember something just like looking into a photo." He stared in wonder at the girl. Back on Earth, he had heard of only a few rare people whose memory were near perfect, such as one who was able to draw an entire city's skyline after a short helicopter ride. He wondered whether Mari knew about the girl's memory capabilities after spending so much time with her.

"You're a prodigy, Lelei, do you know that?"

"My master used to say that too. I…don't know though." The uncertainty on her face reminded Kuwahara that she was only merely still a teen, one who had perhaps spent most of her life with her master than with other girls her age.

He smiled and put the scroll back into the satchel. "You're also a good girl, Lelei. You miss him a lot, don't you?"

She nodded.

He leaned forward and place a hand on her shoulder, the gentle smile still on his face. "You know, my daughter was around your age, maybe slightly older, when she lost her mother. It's hard losing someone you love, especially when it's still far from their time. We feel like we could have done something to save them, when in reality we can't because that's what reality is; harsh. But you know what we can do? We can try to stay strong.

"After my wife's funeral, my daughter spent days crying herself to sleep, but after that? She realized that with me working in the base most of the time she had the responsibility to take care of herself and her brother. I can't say how long it actually took for the pain of losing her mother to dull completely, but what I can tell you is that she stopped crying after that. You see, Lelei, we can let out all our tears now but there comes a point where we have to do our best to move on, for our own sakes."

Lelei nodded as she listened. "Your daughter sounds like an amazing woman.'

It was Kuwahara's turn to nod. "Her mother would've definitely been proud of the woman she has become. Today, she's engaged to a nearly amazing man. I hope they're well."

"You also must be proud of her."

"I am. Always. And I'm sure your master was proud of you as well, Lelei."

At that, a bundle of emotions appeared on those clear blue eyes of hers, but she held them from spilling out. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now go along. I'll tell Mari you stopped by."

The girl gave a nod, then made her way out of the motor pool, her sandals making sharp noises against the asphalt ground. Kuwahara took another look at the satchel of maps which she had left behind with him, and once again marveled at the prodigious ability of one so young. He glanced over to his side, and caught one female sergeant first class looking at him.

"Were you listening to us the whole time, Kuribayashi?" he asked.

"Sorry. I was just wondering what Lelei was doing here." Shino paused. "That was a good story you told about your daughter."

Kuwahara let out a sigh. "It was good that you heard that actually. Because I've been meaning to say something similar to you, Kuribayashi." He stared straight into her eyes. "It's been long enough since your brother's death, when are you going to start to move on?"

The female sergeant first class averted his gaze. She shrugged.

§§§§§§§§

Evening was approaching, the sun an orange haze on the horizon. The blacksmith had been packing his tools into the equipment cabinet when a young man called out to him. The man wore a bloodied chainmail, which had links missing, and he limped towards the workshop.

"My good smith, could you repair my sword?" he asked.

The blacksmith reckoned that he was a part of the garrison. "Sorry, I'm just about to put out the forge. Come back tomorrow."

"Please, I really need this repaired." He held out a blade battered and chipped beyond any practical use.

The blacksmith pursed his lips, then nodded. "I guess I can at least hammer it till it's straight again."

"Thank you very much."

The blacksmith took the sword and laid it on the anvil, hitting it a couple of times to correct the bent metal. Meanwhile, the garrison guard found himself a stool and sat himself down, wincing in pain. He checked the bandages on his left thigh and found them covered in blood. The blacksmith noticed this and he tossed the man a fresh roll of bandage which he kept stored in the workshop.

"Thanks. A right bloody bastard nicked me in the leg with a lucky blow in the last assault."

"Thank the gods that it wasn't any more than that."

"Yeah, but damn these bandits are not giving us a break. They're a fucking persistent lot."

"When the relief force arrives, we'll make them pay."

" _If_ there's one coming."

The garrison guard's statement made the blacksmith paused. He shrugged. "There must be one. The Emperor won't let one of the Empire's greatest city fall."

"Well the Emperor can go fuck himself. He's the one who got us in this bloody war in the first place." The guard spat as he redressed his wound. "My good smith, you haven't stood on the walls like I do every day. Every time I look at the horizon I hope that I'll see help coming, but now I'm pretty much convinced that no one is coming."

"That…can't be true."

"Think about it. We've been hole up here for almost a month now. If someone was coming they would have been here already."

The blacksmith shook his head, but deep down he knew the guard's reasoning was not incorrect. Messengers had been sent to nearby settlements for aid, but so far none had heed the call. Even close friends to the Formal family, the ruling dynasty of Italica, had yet to lift a finger to help the besieged city. Trying not to give a response, the blacksmith took the sword to the grindstone and began to sharpen its edge.

"Our only hope is that we can hold out long enough till the bandits realize that there're easier targets to pick on and leave," the guard said.

"How long will that be though?"

"I don't know. Months?"

The blacksmith winced at the news. It had hardly been a month and the city had already fallen into such chaos. The city hadn't even seen its leader, the Countess Myui, at all in that time as she hid herself in her manor with dozens of servants attending to her while her people suffered. Who could imagine the situation in a few months. Moreover, the garrison were already starting to resort to conscription, since their members were dropping faster than volunteers could be found.

He finished fixing the guard's sword, oiling it before handing it back to the man.

"Thanks again. How much do I owe you?" The man pushed himself up to stand, reaching for his purse.

The blacksmith shook his head. "It's fine, no need to pay. It was nothing."

He turned to look out on the street as a commotion was suddenly stirring. Men and women were running down the road. Excited voices were raised, and people pushed on each other as they hurried forward for some reason.

"What's going on?" the blacksmith said.

The guard was equally confused. "No bloody idea. They're heading for the western gate it seems. Hey you there! What the hell is happening?" he shouted at one teen on the street.

"Help's here! They broke the encirclement!" the kid shouted back.

"Who?"

The teen was gone before he even heard the question. The blacksmith shrugged at the guard. "Guess we'll have to find out ourselves."

The two of them joined the crowd, which grew and grew as they passed more streets. The young, the old, the sick, the weak, all of them hobbled along. The area stink as many had not even seen clean water for the better part of several weeks. The blacksmith wondered who it was that had come to Italica's aid, and he sent up a prayer to the gods for them to bless this man. As he approached the gate, he saw other garrison guards hurrying to open the two large steel doors, lifting the heavy wooden bar which barred the gate. Other guards were holding back the masses of people who have gathered.

There was a murmur in the crowd as the doors were slowly pulled open. The clatter of iron-studded hooves sounded and many people pressed against each other as they strained to gain a better glimpse at the arrivals. A score of riders came into view, their silver helmets and breastplates glinting a brilliant brightness against the dying sun at their backs as they passed under the arc of the gate.

"Hats off!" the guards started shouting. "Hats off, you bloody fools! Hats off and kneel!"

All around the blacksmith, men and women clawed off their bonnets and hoods, and got down on their knees in the muddy ground. The blacksmith and the young guard next to him did the same.

The leading rider was a young, beautiful woman, with a narrow face and sharp, stern eyes. She rode a black horse gilded with polished leather and glittering gold. A red cape draped from her shoulders and she had a golden band donned on her forehead. A jeweled hilted sword hung by her waist, and her hand was held not far from it. The sight of her reminded the blacksmith of the stories of elven beauty, who had perfectly symmetrical faces and could make a man's heart shudder.

Beside her was another female rider, though considerably younger than the first rider. She carried a tall velvet banner, which displayed the emblem of a blossoming rose. In another hand, she held a small trumpet horn, which she blew several long notes into.

"Her Royal Highness: Princess Pina Co Lada, fifth child of His Majesty, Emperor Molt Sol Augustus," the bannerwoman's voice rang out.

Murmurs broke out again amongst the crowd again, the large majority of them having never seen a member of royalty before. The excitement was almost palpable in the air as they all realized that the Emperor had not forgotten them and had sent one of his own to save the city.

"See, there was a relief force coming after all," the blacksmith said to the wounded guard next to him. He was happy that the man was proven wrong in the end. Italica was saved.

"Not so fast, my good smith. Two dozen knights don't make an army."

Before the blacksmith could respond, the Princess Pina urged her horse forward, towards the people. Her impossibly red hair pranced as she swept her gaze across the street, and men and women bowed their heads under her scrutiny.

"You have suffered, Italica," she spoke, her voice hard and noble. "I swear to you, the bandits outside these walls will pay for what they have done. Each and every one of them will be executed and their bodies nailed to a plank every mile from here to Sadera as a demonstration to criminals everywhere."

The people cheered, yelling their approvals, calling for the deaths of the vagrants.

"They are the scums of this world," Pina continued, "they have forfeited their lives when they forfeited their loyalty to the Empire. Emroy watches all of us from his dark throne, and we will send him the souls of these traitors to accompany him. Rest assured, Italica, I will personally get my hands on the leaders of this tirade and wrung their necks up the gallows myself. When they cry for pity, I will give none. When they cry for forgiveness, I will give none. When they cry for mercy, I will cut their tongues out!"

The blacksmith roared with the others. After weeks of entrapped within the city, with no escapes, the princess's speech had riled up the anger in their blood and they were hungry to wreck their revenge on those bandits who were so impudent to even attack this great city.

As she basked in the approval of the people, Pina did not smile however. She sat on her horse, waiting patiently for the noise to die down. When it finally did, she spoke again.

"My knights of the Rose Order and I have currently broken through the bandit encirclement of the city. But I do not doubt that they will return again with more numbers. My scouts have reported to me that an even larger bandit army is arriving soon. But we will definitely prevail. The forces I have with me now are not enough to launch an offensive, so we must hold out until more relief shows up." Confusion began to spread throughout the crowd. Wasn't the Princess supposed to be the relief force? "Take heart, brave men of Italica We will prevail!"

The people did not cheer this time, as they slowly realized that they would be besieged once again. Pina was looking more nervous, losing the air of confidence she had earlier when she made those grandiose promises to punish the bandits. The blacksmith looked at the young guard, who merely shook his head with an I-told-you-so expression. He felt his anger boiled, and he silently cursed the Princess. Why did she not bring enough men when Italica needed an army?

"I'll need a handful of volunteers," Pina spoke again.

"What for?" the young guard next to the blacksmith shouted.

A male knight next to the Princess bristled at the insolence and half-drew his sword before being stopped by the Princess.

"I need men who are willing to ride out of the city and deliver my requests to nearby lords for their aid."

Men and women looked around, trying to see if anyone would step forward. None did.

"We've been sending request for aid long before you came. Yet no one has come!" the guard shouted again.

"It'll be different this time." Pina stared in the blacksmith's direction. "With my seal, the royal seal, these lords will have no choice but to come."

Or they could just ignore it, the blacksmith thought, and hope that the bandits kill you; the Emperor would not be the wiser then. Nevertheless, he raised his voice.

"I'll do it."

The guard next to him stared. "What're you doing?"

"I won't let my city fall to bandits," he simply said.

He pushed his way through the crowd to stand before the princess. The knights beside her stared at him with serious expressions, their hands on the hilt of their weapons. The Princess herself nodded at him, then turned to rest of the people.

"Who else?"

At first no one else moved, but then the blacksmith saw the young guard limping forward as well. The Princess frowned at him. "You're injured."

"I can still ride." His omittance of the royal highness address was noted but not commented on. The guard grinned at the blacksmith. "Guess I'm coming with you, my good smith."

The blacksmith returned the grin.

§§§§§§§§

The drive to Italica was uneventful. The city was over two hundred miles north of Alnus and the journey was estimated to be at most five hours, given the fact that the recon teams' vehicles were heavily marred by uneven roads which were not designed to accommodate modern wheels. Itami watched the countryside roll by with disinterest. A range of mountains encroached to his right, their peaks covered by thick, foggy mist. At first when he had arrived in this world, he was amazed by the scenery, but by now he was used to it and did not think much of it any longer. There was only so much you can appreciate of natural beauty, he reckoned.

He longed to be back in a metropolitan city, where the streets were filled with pedestrians, and where each morning begot a hasty frenzy as people rushed to their day jobs and students to their institutions. It was strange how he didn't realize how much he would miss home until now.

Rain began to fall, pattering on the roof of the LAV, and Itami leaned back against his seat as he watched the droplets drizzle. The locals had a certain reverence for the rain; to them, the rain was a sign of prosperity, given by the gods to water their crops and quench their thirst. To Itami, rain was just water out of the sky, a natural cycle that sustained the world's ecosystem. But he found it interesting to indulge himself in hearing some of the local superstitions.

The comms started to buzz.

"Third Recon, this is Deep recon." The voice belonged to Lieutenant Bowman. His platoon was at the head of the small convoy.

Itami picked up the receiver.

"Deep Recon, we hear you."

"Be advised, we're within a hundred miles of the targeted destination, so we'll be pulling off the highway to avoid visibility for the last stretch."

"I see. Understood. Anything else?"

"No, nothing else. Will inform you when there's any more development. Deep Recon, out."

Itami placed the receiver back to its resting place and pulled out the map which Lelei had recreated, trying to judge where exactly they were along the track to Italica.

§§§§§§§§

Nightfall had come and the blacksmith was ready to ride out. It would not be easy, for the bandits presumably had men lingering everywhere to pounce on any escapees. But the blacksmith had lived in these lands for over three decades, he knew every trick of the landscape there was and he was confident that he could evade any man.

The city guards were working on opening the southern gate, attempting to be as silent as possible so as to not alarm any waiting bandits outside. The blacksmith reached inside his pouch, making sure the letter that was given to him was still there. It was sealed with the Princess's ring and thus bore the royal emblem; ignoring the request the letter carried would be tantamount to treason.

"Time to go, my good smith."

He nodded at the young guard to his right, the same guard who had come earlier to his workshop asking for his sword to be repaired. A fast and unlikely friendship had formed between them, and the blacksmith was glad that he would not be alone in this mission.

"How's your leg?" he asked.

"Bloody hurts, but I'm not the one going to do all the running. This little pony is." The guard patted the mane of the brown mare.

"Just follow my lead, aye? I know the quickest route." The guard nodded.

The two of them would be heading south to a remote castle, where they would be delivering the Princess's message and hope that the demesne lord had enough men to send to Italica. There were other messengers as well, but they were to go to other lords. One messenger was to find the lady Bozes Co Palesti, who was leading a second contingent of knights in the Rose Order, and inform her to ride to Italica's aid as soon as possible.

"Once all this is over, I reckoned I'm due for a promotion in the garrison."

The blacksmith did not say anything in response, for the double steel doors of the gate were slowly creaking open. He edged his horse forward, hearing whispers around him wishing the two of them luck. The stakes of failure were high, but he tried not to dwell too much on it, knowing that he could do well without the pressure.

As he rode under the gate's arc, he felt the moonlight falling across his face, and he counted his lucky stars for he knew that the light was all that he had to navigate through the darkness tonight. He kept his ears open for any signs that might betray hidden bandits, but the land was dead silent.

The gate closed behind them, and he heard the sound of the bar locking in place. There was no turning back now.

He kicked his horse into a fast pace, trusting the young guard to keep up with him. The wind blew against his face, chilling his cheeks. Around him, there was no other noise except for the hooves of their horses. In the distance, he picked out landmarks, such as wide ditches or low ridges, which told him that he was heading in the right direction.

For the next several minutes they rode without speaking. The journey to the castle would be a fairly long one, but if they did not stop for the night they could cover a good distance. They were likely to reach the more difficult trek of the route by tomorrow afternoon, where they would have to navigate through narrow mountain passes and risk the danger of wild animals which inhabited there.

The guard suddenly called out from behind, "Fuck! Look left!"

The blacksmith glanced sideways and saw fire. Campfires. There were hundreds of them, perhaps thousands. A realization dawned on him that these belonged to bandits. This must be the large bandit army the Princess was talking about. He must have wandered directly into their path by accident. Cursing his luck, he changed his direction.

He forced his horse to gallop faster, knowing that they must not be spotted now. His heart raced with anxiety. Their route was blocked by the army, and they would have to find another way.

Any idea of backtracking however was suddenly shattered as the blacksmith heard gruff shouts coming from behind them. He turned and saw a small party of horsemen, their persons visible because of the torches they carry. Thankfully, they were still a very far distance off, but the sight of them made the blacksmith' heart jump.

"Did they see us?"

The guard watched the group for a long moment before answering. "Probably not. Most likely they're scouts heading back to their camp. We're just unlucky we got caught in between them."

The blacksmith nodded, then changed his direction once more. "Come, I know a place where we can lay low. We can find our way out of here in the morning."

The place he was talking about was a cluster of trees grown in the nest of a shallow valley. It was an ideal place to hide, for it was a difficult location to access. The blacksmith just hoped that the cover of darkness was enough to keep the two of them out of sight until they reached there. Once within the trees, he knew he could shake off any pursuers with ease.

§§§§§§§§

"What do you think of this, Itami?" Lieutenant Bowman asked, taking his eyes off his night-vision optics.

They stood on top a low ridge where they had a clear view of the vast flat plains ahead. From one corner of Itami's vision to the other, he could only see the enormous encampment. Torches lit the area, showing thousands of tents arrayed. The shadows of men flickered as they sat, drink, and eat by campfires. Itami thought that he could even hear their laughters. In the distance, beyond the camp, was the faint outline of the city of Italica.

"Looks like the Imperials are mustering another army, sir."

The recon teams had not expected to find such a large number army when they had first arrived on the outskirts of Italica. Air reconnaissance had estimated that the city garrison could not have been more than a few thousand men, but the discovery of this army threw those estimates out of the window.

"Do you think they're going to attack Alnus again?" Itami asked.

Bowman nodded. "No doubt about it. They are probably camped here for the winter, and once spring comes, they will begin their campaign."

Itami could hardly believe the Empire would send another force after being so utterly smashed in the last engagement. Does the Emperor truly hold the value of his subjects' lives so lowly?

"What's your estimate on their number, Itami?"

Itami paused as he considered the question. "I don't know, sir. Around 50,000?"

"I reckon around the same. We won't get a clearer picture until the morning, but for now just look at the number of campfires. That's a good indicator of the size of this army. It looks far smaller than the one we chewed up on Alnus."

"I assume more men will join when the winter is over," the first lieutenant continued. "Tomorrow, we'll capture some stranglers and question them. Find out what we can. If there's anything up their sleeves, we'll see."

"I've already informed my captain of what we've gathered so far, sir. He's relaying the information to Hazama as we speak."

"Good. If your general Hazama knows what he's doing, he would order a pre-emptive strike and scatter this army before it gets any bigger."

Just then, Itami's radio began to buzz and Sasagawa's voice came through. "Sir, we've spotted two riders heading in our direction."

It took a moment for Itami to process the information. "Have we been spotted?" The Third Recon and Deep Recon had positioned themselves in a dense cover of trees to camp for the night and it seemed impossible for anyone to have seen them in the darkness.

"Negative. But they're approaching dangerously close to our location."

"Keep eyes on them, and update me if anything happens."

"Yes, sir. Out."

Itami looked into his binoculars down the slope of the hill he was on, where the two riders were discovered, and saw the thermal of two men galloping with haste. He could not think of what reason that those two could have for being out here in the wild in the night. Lieutenant Bowman, having heard the exchange, was also staring at the two horsemen.

"What do we do, sir?" Itami asked him.

"I say we capture them. Whoever they are, they must know something." The first lieutenant activated his microphone and spoke. "Sniper Elements, do you have eyes on the two tangos? Okay, drop their horses when they reach the woods."

Itami relayed the order to capture the two riders to his team, and then continued watching the two as they approached closer. As soon as the leading horseman was within arm length distance of the treeline, two muzzled sniper shots fired, and the two men came stumbling down off their now-dead horses. Without a moment wasted, members of the Deep Reconnaissance platoon darted forward, descending on the two helpless victims. The prisoners struggled, but it completely futile.

Lieutenant Bowman returned his optics to his pack and gave Itami a pat in the back before making his way down to the captured men.

"Let's go see what's all this is about."

§§§§§§§§

" _The City of Italica._

 _Founded in -836 IC (roughly 490 AD), the city of Italica was recorded as one of the first human settlements in the continent of Falmart. Archaeological and written evidence has stated that the origins of the city began as a small farm, which grew as more humans migrated to the area after discovering the rich fertility of the soil. From there, the small community of farmers eventually integrated to form a town, and they built walls to stop wild animals from invading._

 _There is little evidence of what kind of government Italica had before the founding of the Empire, but it is believed that the city operated under an elective monarchy. Voting rights would have been only reserved for members of nobility._

 _It was around -55 IC (roughly 1271) when the current ruling dynasty, the Formal Clan, came into power. The previous king of Italica had squandered much of the city's resources in fruitless wars, and when the Formals came into control of the city, there was little left to salvage. Recognizing this, the then head of the Formal submitted to the authority of the Saderan King, a growing power in the center of the continent. Over time, and under the leadership of the Formals, Italica proved to be instrumental to the formation of the Empire. As such, the Duke of Italica was given a high-ranking post in the first Emperor's court._

 _It was during the mid-early days of the Empire, when works on infrastructure began throughout the Empire. Italica benefited greatly from this as it was positioned on the crossroad of two important highways, namely the Via Appia and Via Dessria. This brought much trade to the city, and the era was marked with many expansions as the population soon boomed to astronomical levels, as food production from its rich fertile land skyrocketed._

 _Consequently, the ruling head of Italica was often considered to be one of the richest man in the Empire, and there was a rumour which had spread that one of the Formal dukes owned an entire bath room paved entirely in gold. These allegations were proved to false however, as no evidence of such a bath room was ever found upon investigation of the Formal manor. Nevertheless, the story still indicates at the immense wealth the Formal family must have possessed at one point in time._

 _Throughout the centuries, Italica has stayed loyal to the Empire, always responding with its levies whenever the Emperor went to war. During the war between the coalition and the Empire, Italica once again raised men to join the expedition through the Gate. Duke Formal himself led the Italican forces, but in the Battle of Ginza, he was killed, leaving the city under the administration of his eleven-year-old daughter, Myui Formal._

 _This plunged Italica into a succession crisis as the sisters of Myui fought over regency, leaving the city without a clear ruler. And when the Special Region Task Force first arrived at the city, they found the situation to be dire and desperate._

 _Click here to read more…"_

 _Excerpt from Special Region Knowledge Hub. com, 2018_

* * *

 **Lots of things to talk about this chapter. First thing, it was actually going to be longer, but I decided to shift some scenes to the next chapter instead. I just thought that there was already too much going on in this chapter and didn't want to overwhelm any readers. Second thing, as this is a reimagining of the anime, I have combined the Fire Dragon arc and the Italica under siege arc together in order to just create a tighter storytelling rather it coming across as Itami and friends going on adventures. Third thing, you might have noticed that I made up some stuff about Italica's history in the short excerpt in the bottom. Since the wiki page on Italica was short and lack any real information, I decided I was better off coming up with my own history.**

 **This chapter also reintroduces Lieutenant Bowman from chapter 2 again. I finally got an opportunity to insert him back into the story again. I also like how I got an opportunity to write a scene in Kuwahara's point of view this chapter (he's by far my favorite character to write, with Mari being a close second). Kuwahara's POV is something which I feel has been lacking in this second arc, so it's all good now. The lack of action is also something that is lacking, but in the next two chapters we'll get to see some fighting.**

 **Not sure when I'll update the next chapter. Got some uni work to do, but I'll see.**


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